The must-read stories and debate in health policy and leadership.

Hospital-acquired covid-19 infections may be part of the new normal for the NHS for some time to come.

While care staff have died, with families blaming a lack of PPE in their workplace, the issue of patients catching coronavirus whilst in hospital for something else was acknowledged over the weekend.

Some estimates put 20 per cent of the overall infection total as having been acquired in hospital.

Given that particularly bad infection control practices at one trust seem to have warped the national statistics on this measure it is in the public interest to know which organisation it was.

The number of deaths from hospital acquired covid-19 in the pre-lockdown period, when it is worked out, will need to be added to the grim tally of people who died because we reacted too late.

Commenters on HSJ’s story were quick to make the comparison with the mass discharge of patients who might have been infected to care homes, saying the centre should think twice before rushing into restarting non-emergency procedures.

Infection prevention teams have not had the high profile they enjoyed in the noughties when the service battled a tide of C. difficile and MRSA cases.

That could be about to change.

Shared problem

First, there were fears that tens of thousands of covid-19 tests were unavailable to trusts due to a technical glitch.

Now concerns have been raised about a new black hole of vital data.

HSJ has heard concerns that some occupational health teams are sending staff for covid-19 tests and not getting all the results back.

Results from tests carried out at drive-throughs and mobile centres are not automatically shared with employers due to confidentiality and data protection laws.

Staff are now being encouraged to share their results with their employers so they can monitor the situation in their teams and organisations.