Arrowe Park hospital worker has swine flu

Jun 17 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Birkenhead News

Arrowe Park Hospital

A WIRRAL hospital worker has been diagnosed with swine flu – after being previously told in error that he had tested negative.

The man, an office worker at Arrowe Park Hospital, was given his correct test results on Monday.

He had been off work with suspected swine flu and as a precaution was treated with anti-viral medication.

He was initially told tests came back negative ... but later he was informed they were positive.

Health bosses have stressed that the man is not contagious and no longer poses a risk to the public.

He was initially given a negative test result after an administrative mistake but then later told he had tested positive for H1N1v swine flu infection.

Health Protection Agency North West bosses apologised for the error and stressed the man was not infectious and his colleagues were not at risk.

A spokesman said: “We regret any distress or confusion that this error may have caused to the former patient and his family and we apologise for it.

“However, we need to stress that the delay in giving the former patient his correct test result had no bearing on a decision to allow him to return to work. That decision was made on clinical grounds because he recovered from the illness; he had no symptoms since Thursday of last week and is not infectious.

“He therefore does not pose a risk to people who work with him and the decision to allow him to return to work was correct.”

He added: “It was unfortunate that the former patient was not given his positive result for H1N1 infection and we are very sorry if this has caused anxiety.” A female hospital worker has been off sick for four days with suspected symptoms.