Covid: Daughter tells of dad's lonely hospital death as NHS report 'provides no answers'

  • Sam Smith-Higgins said her dad went into hospital with cancer but never came out after catching Covid whilst he was there

A grieving daughter has spoken about her dad's death after catching Covid in hospital.

It follows an NHS Wales report that has highlighted issues that may have contributed to the spread of infection in hospitals across Wales.

Sam Smith-Higgins, a film-maker from Henllys in Torfaen, told ITV Wales that her father went into hospital during the height of the pandemic.

Phil Smith, 73, was admitted in January 2021 with prostate cancer. Six days later, he died after catching the virus.

Phil Smith died after catching Covid in January 2021. Credit: Family Photo.

She described the days after as "awful" and years since have been "very difficult" for her family and others grieving the loss of a loved one from Covid-19.

Ms Higgins said the NHS Wales report provides nothing new.

  • What did the report say?

Ageing buildings and a lack of isolation facilities made it difficult to isolate Covid patients, meaning they were often moved around multiple wards.

Around 18,000 cases of suspected hospital-acquired Covid between March 2020 and April 2022 are currently being investigated by NHS Wales.

It comes as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry investigates core political and administrative decision-making in Wales throughout pandemic.

Ms Higgins said: "We couldn't be with him, and after he died we were given a bag of clothes and told don't open them for ten days, and that was it.

"When you've kept a relative safe throughout Covid and then you take them into hospital, you expect them to be safe there.

"The report highlights certain things such as aged estates for Welsh hospitals, but it doesn't give any detail.

"For us as bereaved families, we already know what primary causes there were.

"We could have written this report a year ago, there's no stats in there, there's nothing, no surprises at all.

"The only thing I'm grateful for is at least they've acknowledged there are problems there."

Eluned Morgan has previously accused the UK Health Secretary of a "political stunt" after he criticised Wales' waiting lists.

The minister in charge of health across Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, has said that she is "committed to ensuring this learning will lead to meaningful change and improvements in the quality and safety of patient care

"The extent of the work that still lies ahead should not be underestimated.

"The work will continue to identify learning in its second year, with a view to publishing a final full learning report in Spring 2024.

"I am grateful to the individuals and organisations across the NHS in Wales for their engagement with and continued commitment to this challenging work.

"I am grateful to the families who have lost loved ones for their patience while we work hard to find answers for them.

"Additionally, work will continue to identify and explore new and emerging topics."