Care Quality Commission inspectors undertook an unannounced inspection of the Harlow hospital in February of this year. The focused inspection of the emergency department found staff were not following infection prevention and control policy or consistently wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and the service was rated Inadequate. Inspectors added they were worried for patient safety due to a lack of suitable facilities for Covid-19 positive patients. At the time of inspection, the rate of infection in Harlow – expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people – was above 130. In response to the pandemic, the trust re-configured the emergency department, implementing ‘red’ and ‘amber’ areas; red areas for high risk Covid-19 patients and amber areas for patients not showing symptoms and those with negative Covid test results.