Fourteen people have died at Ipswich hospital due to Covid-19, it has been revealed for the first time.

The chief executive of Ipswich and Colchester hospitals apologised after an administrative error meant the deaths at Heath Road went unreported for three weeks

Nick Hulme, the Trust's chief executive, said: "I apologise for any confusion or distress caused by this oversight.

"Our staff have been and will continue to support the families and loved ones of patients who have sadly died in our hospitals."

A spokeswoman for the trust confirmed: "Today's NHS statement announcing the death of patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 includes 17 deaths of patients at Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals. 

"Fourteen of the deaths were at Ipswich Hospital and three were at Colchester Hospital. This is the first time any deaths at Ipswich Hospital have been announced and they cover a three-week period. 

"They have all been reported today due to an administrative error identified in linking internal reporting to the national reporting process. 

"This was immediately corrected once it was identified."

Most people on the Shotley peninsula are treated at Ipswich Hospital, while some may go to Colchester, where three deaths due to the Coronavirus have been confirmed.

Dozens of NHS staff from the peninsula also work at the Heath Road complex.

The latest figures released by the NHS showed157 confirmed cases in Suffolk. However, with routine community testing discontinued, these figures will not describe the full extent of cases locally.

Nationally, 3,605 people have died in UK hospitals after testing positive from coronavirus. Positive cases in the UK have risen to 38,168.