British frontline workers who contracted Covid while taking care of patients have instituted legal action against NHS trusts, registered practices and any other applicable government bodies, alleging they failed to protect them during the pandemic and in the subsequent years.
The Liverpool-based Bond Turner claims group, which has announced its intention to bring actions against the trusts, is working with support group Long Covid Doctors for Actions (LCD4A), and has apparently had inquiries from hundreds of potential claimants and doctors living with post-Covid complications.
Sara Stanger, director and head of clinical negligence and serious injury claims at Bond Turner, told the Law Society Gazette that healthcare workers exposed to Covid-19 are still living with devastating and life-altering effects, with financial implications for those who have been absent from work for a prolonged period.
"We are committed to seeking justice for those who were exposed to an unnecessary risk of infection while working on the frontline.”
Dr Kelly Fearnley, chair of Long Covid Doctors for Action, said NHS employers are failing to facilitate people’s return to work after an extended phased return. In some cases they are being dismissed.
Having lost their careers and livelihoods, the option of legal action was the only available route.
“From the start of this pandemic, healthcare workers have been risking their lives and health caring for Covid patients, without adequate protection,” she added. “A significant number are disabled after preventable occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. and are being managed out of the door with no support system in place and without means to financially support themselves and their families.”
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