Exhausted staff at Arrowe Park Hospital's emergency department claim priority is being given to passengers of a hantavirus-hit ship isolating on the hospital grounds, while A&E conditions remain dire. Workers in the Wirral hospital's chaotic department say they are 'drowning' as attention and resources focus on those in the accommodation block nearby.
The ECHO revealed earlier this month that Britons from the MV Hondius, struck by a hantavirus outbreak, would complete their isolation at the block on the hospital site—the same used for Wuhan returnees during the Covid-19 pandemic. Frustrated staff report resentment over the perceived prioritisation of this project, with one long-serving worker describing 'horrendous' conditions: 'Last week we had patients blocking all doors, and we had to hold people in ambulances because we ran out of space.'
The Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust disputes the claims, stating that all hospital services continue as normal and that staff welfare is a high priority. The trust notes 'significant improvements in four hour and 12 hour performance' in A&E, despite ongoing busy periods. However, staff highlight that four colleagues were given 24 hours' notice to vacate the block for the isolating patients, with one worker saying: 'One person has lived there for years. That's their home, and they had to move during a shift.'
Staff feel resources are diverted from A&E to the hantavirus project, with one team member saying: 'We had matrons running round to meet our guests, while patients on the corridor have no nurses. We're asking for staff because we're drowning.' The trust insists the isolation response is nationally led and that staffing reviews and safety huddles are completed daily, with average ambulance handover times under an hour in May. Staff stress they do not blame the isolating patients but criticise the trust's approach.
