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Seventy members of staff from Hillingdon Hospital are self isolating
A west London hospital has been closed to all emergencies following an outbreak of Covid-19 among its staff.
The outbreak was declared at Hillingdon Hospital on Friday and as of Tuesday 70 workers were self-isolating.
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said “a number” of those had tested positive for the virus.
“As a result, the trust has taken the precautionary decision to close… to emergency ambulances and emergency admissions,” a spokesperson said.
Hillingdon Hospital, in Uxbridge, is situated close to Heathrow Airport for which it serves as the emergency receiving hospital.
The spokesperson said the trust was managing the outbreak in line with Public Health England guidance and that London Ambulance Service had been asked to take new patients to neighbouring hospitals.
“Any impact on patient care has been kept to an absolute minimum and there is no disruption to the care of our current patients,” the spokesperson added.
The trust, which also runs Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, provides clinical services to over half a million people a year, including over 97,000 patients in its emergency departments.