Transplant patient from Cambridge backs call for more Covid protection for vulnerable patients in UK hospitals

A transplant recipient from Cambridge is calling on UK hospitals to do more to protect patients with suppressed immune systems from airborne infections like Covid.

Ex-university lecturer Glyn Huskisson has signed a petition urging the government to introduce new air quality and PPE rules for health and social care settings.

Glyn, who developed breast cancer in 2016 while already undergoing kidney dialysis, says the risks of catching Covid or other airborne viruses in hospital for people like her must be taken more seriously.

Her chances of a kidney transplant were delayed due to her cancer diagnosis but finally, in September 2020, after 13 years of dialysis, she was finally able to have one.

“Just when my life should have opened up with my kidney transplant, it actually closed down because of Covid,” said Glynn.

“I attend many hospital appointments and I have an operation coming up. In 2025, hospitals and GP surgeries have, for the most part, dropped any mitigations that would help to protect patients against infection with Covid – or other airborne viruses such as flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

“I take anti-rejection medications to suppress my immune system and prevent it from rejecting the new organ. A suppressed immune system – one that has fewer white blood cells – raises the risk of getting infections and having difficulty fighting them, so any infection can lead to severe illness.

“Because of the risks associated with attending hospital in person, I’ve chosen to not actually go to my transplant appointments when possible, but instead to receive phone appointments, which isn’t ideal as my urine can’t be tested.

“Thankfully in Cambridge we have a drive-through phlebotomy service so I go there as, being outdoors, it’s safer than inside the hospital or GP surgery.”

Glyn has urged to sign a petition launched by Janet Newsham, chair of UK Hazards Campaign, that calls for greater infection prevention and control measures to protect all patients and NHS staff, and particularly those patients who are at greater risk from infection.

“I’m no ‘Covid-neurotic’ – I’ve engaged in several high-risk sports, but I choose my risks and with over 400,000 research papers on the consequences of Covid and statistics from Welsh hospitals – England’s don’t record this data – showing that the chances of catching Covid in hospital are high, going in there understandably concerns me greatly,” she says.

“It seems that generally in the UK the potentially serious, sometimes fatal, consequences of Covid are being minimised.”

She points out that the UK faced a ‘quaddemic’ of flu, Covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections at the start of 2025, which prompted many hospital trusts to declare critical incidents and urge people to stay away from A&E unless it was urgent, and not visit if they had viral symptoms.

Covid, flu and RSV are airborne viruses, meaning they can be caught through aerosol particles or droplet particles, while norovirus can also be passed on by inhaling virus particles, or through direct contact or contaminated surfaces. While flu, RSV and norovirus are more prevalent in winter, Covid remains a year-round threat to the immunosuppressed.

“You are sick and vulnerable, which is why you are in hospital in the first place,” said Glyn. “Then you are made to feel more vulnerable, because of the lack of mitigations against Covid, flu and other airborne viruses.”

The petition says: “We want the government to set new rules on air quality and infection control in health and social care settings, to prevent and control airborne infections, with new ventilation and filtration requirements, new PPE standards and staffing rules, and monitoring and inspection to ensure compliance.

“Covid and other infectious diseases are spread by airborne aerosols. There are key ways to prevent them, by improving air quality and using well-fitting respiratory masks.

“Some research has found that reinfection can increase the risk of long-term serious organ damage and care workers having amongst the highest prevalence of long Covid. There are many tools to protect people in health and social care, including improving ventilation/air filtration, reintroducing PPE masks and Covid testing, and supporting ill staff to stay home.”

Research on Covid wards at Addenbrooke’s Hospital during the pandemic found air filter machines removed almost all traces of the airborne virus.

Ms Newsham said: “There are many airborne risks – especially in healthcare – which are ongoing and should and can be prevented, reducing the risks for patients, visitors and staff. HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters can help to clean the air on wards and in high risk areas.

“The UK government and Parliament petition calling for these measures is one way that the public can let the government know that they want to be protected from airborne infections, while accessing healthcare.”

A spokesperson for Cambridge University Hospitals, which runs Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, said: “We wear FFP3 masks for patients with suspected and confirmed respiratory disease. Some staff and patients/vistors continue to wear FRSM masks and provisions are made to allow this. We are one of the few trusts in the UK that do wear FFP3 for respiratory diseases.”

On its website, the trust advises: “Non-clinical and clinical areas are no longer required to wear surgical masks. Some clinical areas within our hospitals will still require masks to be worn, eg oncology.”

Sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700304.