NHS trust which cares for elderly and vulnerable confirms its second coronavirus-related death
Tests after man's death confirmed he had contracted the virus
The man who has passed away was being cared for on a dementia care ward at Leicester General Hospital (Library image)
An NHS trust which cares for people with mental ill-health and dementia has reported its second coronavirus-related death today.
The Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust said an elderly man in its care at Leicester General Hospital passed away on Saturday, March 28.
The man was in his 70s and had underlying health conditions and was being cared for on a dementia ward within the Evington Centre at the hospital.
It was several days before tests confirmed he had contracted the virus, the trust said.
A spokesperson said today: "Sadly we can confirm that a gentleman who was being cared for at the Evington Centre and had tested positive for COVID-19, has died.
"The patient, who died, was in his seventies and had underlying health conditions.
"His family has been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.
"The patient died on March 28, however it was not confirmed that he was Covid-19 positive until his tests results had come through which was some days after his death."
The trust, which provides community health, mental health and learning disabilities services for the one million people across the city and county, informed the man's family immediately, it said.
The first person in the trust's care to die having contracted the virus was a patient at Hinckley and Bosworth Community Hospital, it said last week.
The man was in his 80s and had underlying health conditions, LeicestershireLive reported last weekend.
Leicester General Hospital
Yesterday, Leicester's hospitals confirmed a further 17 patients - one in their 30s - had died in the previous 24 hours having tested positive for Covid-19.
The University Hospitals of Leicester, (UHL), NHS Trust said in a statement that the number of deaths linked to the coronavirus crisis in its hospitals then stood at 155.
No figures have been released locally today.
A total of 16,060 patients have died in hospitals after testing positive for the virus in the UK as of 5pm on Saturday, the Department of Health said today.
That is an increase of 596 from 15,464 the day before.
The full extent of the death toll outside hospitals is unknown.