Elderly Patient at Charing Cross Hospital Dies of Coronavirus
Borough's first death announced as number testing positive in H&F rises to three
A patient at Charing Cross Hospital has become the first person to die of Coronavirus in Hammersmith and Fulham.
Professor Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which includes Charing Cross Hospital in Fulham Palace Road and Hammersmith Hospital in White City, said: " We can confirm that, sadly, an 89 year-old patient who was very unwell with underlying health conditions has died at Charing Cross Hospital. The patient had tested positive for coronavirus.
"Our thoughts and condolences are with the patient’s family."
The announcement came as the latest figures from the Department of Health showed that three people in the borough have now tested positive for COVID-19.
In the neighbouring borough of Kensington and Chelsea meanwhile 15 cases have now been confirmed, with the total rising to 136 in London, 491 in England and 590 in the UK. Eight people people in the UK have now died of Coronavirus.
Services which have been rolled by the NHS to deal with the outbreak in West London include a 'drive through' test centre in Parsons Green - the first to open in London - and isolation 'pods' in local hospitals.
The car swabbing test hub at Parsons Green Health Centre, on the east side of Parsons Green in Fulham is a referral only service supplied by the nursing and therapy workforce of Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, accessed and medically supported by the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust medical team.
People who are concerned they may have the virus are asked not to visit a GP or hospital, but instead to self-isolate and ring 111.
The NHS 111 call centre will pass relevant local callers to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital staff, who will assess their needs by phone.
If staff decide a test is required, they will be referred to Parsons Green Health Centre, where they will arrive in their own car, and will not enter the building.
Instead they will have their throads and noses swabbed outside by specially trained nurses, under a purpose built awning.
Samples will be collected by the community testing service using a standardised process, and the patients will be given their results over the phone within 72 hours.
The Parsons Green site has no emergency services and the following cases will not be seen by the service and will be re-directed to emergency departments.
Cases who are clinically unwell
Cases aged under 16 years
Cases known to be pregnant
Residents who cannot drive are being visited in their own home to have their tests.
The new service, accessed through a referral from NHS 111, means people worried about the virus can safely and quickly get checked close to home.
The model is one of the ways in which community testing and home testing are being rolled out nationwide, with the NHS’ strategic incident director for coronavirus, asking health services in every part of England to set up home and community testing.
People are asked to self-isolate while checks are completed, to prevent any potential onward transmission of the virus.
Hospitals across London, including Chelsea and Westminster on Fulham Road, Charing Cross on Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith and Hammersmith Hospital in Du Cane Road in Shepherd's Bush, have also opened isolation 'pods' where people with symptoms of the virus can be apart kept from other patients while they are tested and treated.
An NHS spokesperson said: "Following national guidance all hospitals are putting in place NHS 111 pods at their emergency departments, so that anyone attending hospital with symptoms of the virus can be kept isolated from other patients and avoid causing unnecessary pressure in A&E."
March 12, 2020