CEO says lives were lost as he was ‘leant on’ to delay covid restrictions

David Loughton, chief executive for the Royal Wolverhampton Trust, has said despite wanting to implement lockdown measures at his hospitals on 8 March, he was instructed not to and had to delay taking this action for two and a half weeks.

Well-placed sources told HSJ the conversation Mr Loughton refers to was with NHS England and NHS Improvement’s regional directorate. In a statement, the Midlands team said trusts have “ultimate discretion” over visiting policy and the national guidance advising hospitals to restrict visiting was issued on 14 March.

Mr Loughton told the local Express and Star newspaper: “It was Sunday, March 8, and here is my biggest personal regret. John Denley [the local director of public health] and I had, at I think about 2pm that afternoon… said we should stop all visiting immediately.

“We didn’t do that for another two-and-a-half weeks because I was leant on from a big height not to do it, and I don’t think there was any recognition that for whatever reason the Black Country was just behind London in taking off and getting to the peak.

“And I’ll never know this, will I? But I think there were probably 24 or 25 deaths that may not have happened if we had locked down earlier.”

A spokesman for the NHS Midlands directorate said: “While ultimately these are decisions for trusts who have discretion on visiting policy, Public Health England produced its guidance to hospitals less than a week later on 14 March advising hospitals to restrict visitors to only essential visitors required for patient welfare.”

The Black Country has had one of the highest excess death rates during the pandemic, including an early spike in deaths following that in London.

Mr Loughton said if he were called before a public inquiry, he would make it clear “we should have closed down two-and-a-half weeks before we did.”

Wolverhampton is currently experiencing relatively higher rates of covid-19 infection, following an increase in neighbouring Sandwell.

The Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement: “These unsubstantiated claims are false. Throughout the pandemic we have taken clear and decisive action, in partnership with trusts and local authorities, to help stop the spread of coronavirus.”

Story updated to include more details about the conversation Mr Loughton refers to, and a statements from NHS England/Improvement and the Department of Health and Social Care.