How often are hospital nurses tested?

[notevenat20]

My father in law just got covid in hospital and died. It seems likely he caught it from a nurse as no visitors are allowed and he hardly saw a doctor. I don't blame anyone but does anyone know how often hospital nurses are tested?

Twice a week here but lateral flow so not always accurate. Sorry for your loss.

My friend is tested twice a week. Unfortunately infection spread in hospital is almost impossible to prevent, they're working in close contact with patients.

So sorry for your loss. Could be from another patient or therapist.

How do you know your father in law didn’t bring it into hospital with him? Like a lot of other people.

Was he isolating and had no visitors at all?

Where I work none of the staff get tested on the ward where I work.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Nurses are tested twice a week here too - lateral flow tests as well.

I’m sorry for your loss.

My brother tests himself at home (lateral flow) twice a week.

Where I am, the nurses are tested twice per week with a lateral flow and one of those is followed up with a PCR for accuracy reasons.

However the Anti Coagulation team and, more importantly, the Care Home Vaccination team is only tested once every 7 days using the LAMP saliva test which seems unreliable and the care home team is still going in to homes with known Covid outbreaks. As a result, the sister home to the one I work in now has an outbreak due to vaccinators passing it on. We know this is the case as they were the only outside visitors in the home, the residents can’t go out or have visitors at the moment, and every single one of staff members was tested and tested negative. The initial positive cases were amongst those who had the vaccine only (none of the non consenters tested positive). A couple of weeks on, it’s spread to more residents and staff .

Twice a week in our local hospital.
So sorry for your loss

And also, I’m so sorry about what happened to your FIL

How do you know your father in law didn’t bring it into hospital with him? Like a lot of other people.

He was there for a month recovering from a broken hip. Then he got covid which killed him.

Was he isolating and had no visitors at all?

No visitors at all are allowed in the hospital until they think you are just about to die.

I’m tested twice a week with a PCR test.

That is really so sad, I am so sorry this happened. Hospital acquired infection has always been a massive issue. Unfortunately in the case of covid, the PPE simply isn't 100% effective Hence why so many HCPs are contracting covid from patients and then unintentionally spreading it to other patients. I developed covid symptoms late on in a shift and immediately was tested which later came back positive. I was very lucky that none of my patients went on to test positive, in fact my husband didn't even so clearly I wasn't a 'spreader'. But I can see how it could easily happen, even with weekly testing. I was very unwell with covid and when the symptoms started, they came on quickly and severely if that makes sense, so one minute I was ok and the next minute I wasn't. I wasn't deliberately caring for patients knowing I was unwell.

No routine testing of nurses on my ward or any ward in my hospital as far as I know.
We did have an ad hoc screening test last week but that was specifically requested by IPC. It showed one asymptomatic positive.

I really don't rate the lateral flow tests for accuracy. We have 2 LFT and 1 PCR test a week. We have had positives on the PCR but those didn't get picked up on the LFT.

Ps I'm so so sorry for your loss OP xxx

This happened to my friends grandfather at the end of last year. Went in with suspected sepsis, was in hospital for several weeks, patients tested on entry. The day before he was meant to come home he started presenting with covid symptoms, there had been no visitors or anything on the ward. Nurse tested positive a day or so later, he passed away several days later. I’m sorry for your loss.

I know LFT isn’t the most accurate but it’s really worrying that no testing of staff is going on in some hospitals... it seems really irresponsible.

At leat twice weekly. There's a lot of other staff such as cleaners and nursing assistants. So not sure you can assume a nurse. Sorry for your loss.

@Plussizejumpsuit exactly. Physio and OT. Surgeons, porters and the X-ray staff when they do portable on the wards.

The list is endless hospitals are big and busy places OP.

Those hospitals with no regular testing of staff should be named and shamed unless there is some exceptional reason for it. Could anyone working at such a hospital name it? (You can name change easily if needed.)

I’m really sorry for your loss, OP. It seems from what you’ve said he picked it up whilst in hospital however it’s not necessarily a nurse. He’d have seen doctors, nurses, physios for his hip, radiographers,pharmacy staff, hca’s, hospitality staff, cleaners. NHS staff are given the lateral flow tests to use twice a week and they are working through the vaccines. I know it’s hard but you can’t pin point and blame a particular person. They are really trying their best in a shitty situation.

I’m willing to name the hospital where I work. I cannot speak for the whole hospital. But I worked up one particular department for 8 years and I recently have moved moved department within the same hospital.

I just want to say OP. There’s no easy solution and sorry for your loss.

Wards are really short staffed and over run maybe and I could be wrong. But if they test all the staff on every wards the chances are a lot of positives will come back. Who will run wards when there’s no staff? School bubbles down?

Next week I’ll be off work as the hub is shut due to Covid cases and I’m a single parent.

Twice a week where my mum works at major East Midlands hospital.

I know it’s hard but you can’t pin point and blame a particular person. They are really trying their best in a shitty situation.

Yes. I don't blame anyone. That is unless it turns out the hospital had no regularly testing of staff.

I’m willing to name the hospital where I work

Which one is it?

I'm sorry for your loss OP
My ICU nurse DD is tested twice a week.
It was once a week from June until around November, now they're all self testing with the home kits twice a week. If they test positive, then they have to do the full test at the hospital.