Wards Closed Following Problems

Illness lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have revealed their concerns following news that two more hospitals in England have been hit by suspected norovirus outbreaks in recent days.

Local reports have revealed that the Victoria and Shawford Wards at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, which primarily care for elderly patients, have been closed in an effort to contain the spread of the illness outbreak.

In addition, it is thought that a number of wards have been closed in Doncaster Royal Infirmary as a result of another outbreak of norovirus.

Staff at both sites have asked people to stay away from the hospital if they can, as a precautionary measure to reduce the potential of the illness problems affected more people.

Illness specialists at Irwin Mitchell represent a number of people affected by illness outbreaks in the UK and abroad, including people who have suffered long-term health problems as a result of contracting norovirus.

Suki Chhokar, a Partner in the firm’s specialist illness team, said: “It is hugely worrying to see two more hospitals suffer norovirus problems in recent weeks, particularly considering the serious impact that the illness can have on people of all ages.

“It is vital that the hospitals affected work quickly to determine the source of the outbreaks and continue to put measures in place to reduce the possibility that the illnesses will spread.

“Ultimately, we also hope that lessons can be learned from this recent spate of outbreaks at hospitals across the UK, with a view to ensuring that – where possible – safety standards can be tightened to ensure incidents like this can be avoided in the future.”