Ministers have been accused of trying to cover up the findings from investigations into hundreds of health and social care worker deaths linked to coronavirus after it emerged the results will not be made public.
The Independent revealed on Tuesday that medical examiners across England and Wales have been asked by ministers to investigate more than 620 deaths of frontline staff that occurred during the pandemic.
The senior doctors will review the circumstances and medical cause of death in each case and attempt to determine whether the worker may have caught the virus during the course of their duties.
But now the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the results will be kept secret with the aim of helping local hospitals to learn and improve protection for staff.
It has sparked criticism from across the political spectrum with both Labour and the Liberal Democrats calling for more transparency and warning against a “cover up” of any findings.
Dr Rinesh Parmar, chair of the Doctors’ Association UK, said: “The families of our colleagues who have died deserve to know what happened, the circumstances surrounding the death and whether a lack of adequate PPE led to the deaths of loved ones. Learning needs to be widely shared in an NHS where we learn not blame, where we improve and prevent future tragedies and safeguard staff and patients alike. This is simply not possible if the findings are buried rather than published openly.”
Read the full article in The Independent here
