London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Covid: Nurses at hotspot hospital 'emotionally attacked'

Covid: Nurses at hotspot hospital 'emotionally attacked'

Nurses at one hospital have been "emotionally attacked" and "victimised" by members of the public - according to a senior doctor.

Nerys Conway, a consultant at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant said there were "awful cases" of abuse.

The hospital has been the centre of a large recent outbreak of Covid-19.

Dr Conway said some nurses felt "the finger has been pointed at them" because of the high infection rates within the hospital.

So far 186 cases and 51 deaths have been linked to a Covid-19 outbreak at the hospital, although infection rates appear to have stabilised more recently.

Dr Conway said the experience has been "horrendous" for staff working hard to care for patients during the latest wave of the coronavirus, who have received abuse both in person and on social media about infection rates within the hospital.

"I know of some awful cases where nurses have been emotionally attacked outside of work - there has been some name-calling, people have been victimised - that has been horrendous."


Fifty-one deaths have now been linked to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital where nurses have been "victimised"


"Some of the nurses have experienced awful emotional abuse on social media or while out walking.

"I feel incredibly sorry for them in particular because I have witnessed the most dedicated team of nurses throughout all of the wards here, I am incredibly proud of them - they have looked after people and their families so well."

Along with infections at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, there have also been significant outbreaks at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board's other two large hospitals.

The Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend has recorded so far, while there have been 90 cases and 20 deaths linked to an outbreak at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.


The Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend has also seen a Covid outbreak


Hywel Daniel, executive director of workforce at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said the commitment of staff to deliver the best possible care during the pandemic was "remarkable" in the face of "extreme pressure".

He said abuse in person, over the phone or online was "totally unacceptable" and would not be tolerated.

"We are immensely proud of our workforce and their well-being is paramount as we head into what will inevitably be a difficult winter.

"We are calling on everyone across our communities to support our staff and recognise the incredible work they are doing at this challenging time."

Dr David Bailey, chairman of the Welsh Council of the British Medical Association said some patients were lashing out in frustration which was "clearly not helping anyone".

He added: "There's an awful lot of long-term problems that are building up at the moment and I think people are just becoming frustrated, they're becoming impatient when they hear the news that there is something [Covid-related] coming up.

"They're becoming impatient to start to return to something like their normal lives."

'Incredibly difficult'


Updated figures for infections at hospitals within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area are due to be published on Tuesday.

Health board bosses say staff have worked hard to tighten up infection control procedures, but insist it is very difficult to prevent hospital infections when Covid is spreading widely in local communities.

Last week the chief executive of NHS Wales reiterated that view while insisting the numbers of people catching Covid in hospital only accounted for a small percentage of total infections.

Andrew Goodall said: "I want to be clear, this is not as simple as a failure of hand-washing or poor infection control procedures,"

"This virus is highly infectious and it can be passed on in the asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic and symptomatic phases of the infection.

"It is incredibly difficult to prevent its spread in busy healthcare environments, especially with around 90 people with Covid currently admitted each day," he told journalists last Tuesday.


Dr Nerys Conway said there had been "awful cases" of abuse towards nurses


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×