Covid infection among NBT staff
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A description of Covid-19 diagnosis and seropositivity across staff groups in North Bristol NHS Trust
IRAS ID
286527
Contact name
Ed Moran
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
The SARS-CoV-2 virus arose at the end of the December 2019 and rapidly spread around the world. The UK epidemic was focussed in certain geographical areas – particularly London and the West Midlands – but all areas regardless of community circulation experienced significant healthcare related Covid infection in both hospitals and care homes. This was in part due to the prolonged asymptomatic phase which was recognised only once the pandemic was underway. Both staff and patients were at risk of acquiring Covid-19 from people within the hospital experiencing minimal or no symptoms. Trusts, including North Bristol, quickly introduced universal PPE for staff and other infection control measures which saw a reduction in hospital acquired infections.There are two main tests for SARS-CoV-2. The PCR test is performed on a nose/mouth swab and indicates current active infection. The recently developed serological tests performed on blood indicate that an individual has been infected in the past.
Both tests have been widely used at NBT: the PCR test to assess whether staff with symptoms consistent with Covid-19 are in fact infected, and more recently the serological test to assess the extent of previous infection. Over the last months approximately 7000 people have undergone this latter test as part of a rapid staff testing programme. Approximately 9% of staff overall are positive; however this varies between different staff groups , ranging from 2% in healthcare scientists and reaching 50% in wards that experienced significant staff outbreaks.
We wish to analyse this staff testing data in greater detail to identify risk groups based upon role and demographics to inform future practice in UK hospitals.Summary of Results
In June 2020, all staff at our hospital were invitied to voluntary testing of blood for the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV2, the virus causing Covid-19. We linked these results with staff records to produce an anonymised dataset that allowed us to identify those roles within the hospital that were linked to a higher chance of being infected with SARS-CoV2. The overall positivity was 9.3% and was highest among those who worked on wards that had had large outbreaks (50%) and lowest on those who worked in intensive care (2.5%). Those who gave a BAME ethnicity were more likely to be positive than those who gave their ethnicity as white for all staff groups except doctors where they were less likely. This data showed a complex interplay between bioloigcal, social and economic factors that ultimately determined the risk of infection in the early stages of the pandemic. Identifying those at increased risk will support the implementation of measure to protect the entire health care workforce in the event of further pandemic events.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/NW/0354
Date of REC Opinion
11 Aug 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion