Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) investigate the cause of death and (b) prevent any further deaths of NHS staff during the covid-19 outbreak.

In England, as of 27 April, 85 National Health Service healthcare worker deaths have been reported. This is an increase of three reported deaths. As of 28 April, we are aware of 23 social care workers who have died in the United Kingdom, and we are working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the care sector to build a more comprehensive picture.

The Department is considering how best it can investigate the deaths of staff in NHS settings, and to capture and disseminate the learning from these investigations.