The NHS Trust which oversees the Lister Hospital in Stevenage is asking visitors to not remove its hand sanitiser gels – which are available around the hospital – as a number of dispensers have been taken amid coronavirus fears.
Many supermarket and store shelves in Stevenage - and across the UK - have been left empty as shoppers stockpile similar hand gels, soap, toilet rolls and other essentials in the wake of the virus hitting the country.
Now, the NHS trust has confirmed that people have even begun stealing gels from the hospital.
A spokesman for East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said: 'The health and safety of our patients and staff remains our top priority.
'We provide hand sanitiser gels to ensure good hand hygiene within our hospital, and these must not be removed under any circumstances as this can put our patients at risk.
'Regrettably, we have had a number of hand sanitiser gel dispensers taken from Lister Hospital - including clinical areas.
'We have had to prioritise where we put hand sanitisers to ensure we can continue to deliver high-quality patient care.'
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