Healthcare bosses running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) are begging business for boiler suits and painter’s overalls, it has been claimed.
The shortage of gowns, masks and gloves in Devon’s NHS clinical commissioning group has been so severe, that a local council have put out a tender for the ‘immediate supply’ of the items.
In a document titled ‘Urgent help needed re provision of PPE for NHS staff’, Torbay Council say the are is ‘in desperate need of gowns’.
‘We are therefore putting out a plea for any boiler suits, lab coats, painting suits, chemical suits or any kind of disposable (or washable) overall with full length sleeves,’ it continues.
The request comes after the extent of the PPE shortages were writ large in a 90-day forecast for the government by consultancy firm McKinsey.
Healthcare bosses running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) are begging business for boiler suits and painter’s overalls, it has been claimed
A senior Whitehall insider told the Times: ‘Every day we run out of something, the advice is downgraded and we are now running at standards lower than [recommended by] the International Red Cross and the World Health Organisation.’
‘We have always been so smug about ourselves as a developed country, but now we have nations we send aid to watching us in horror.’
The Government has also changed regulations around PPE material, so that for a ‘limited period’, coronavirus-related PPE does not have to bear the usual CE mark which means it meets product standards for the European Economic Area.
However, the relaxation of regulations around the life-saving equipment has drawn concerns from health experts and frontline workers, who rely on it to avoid infection.
The shortage of gowns, masks and gloves in Devon’s NHS clinical commissioning group has been so severe, that a local council have put out a tender for the ‘immediate supply’ of the items. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn,Norfolk
It is believed that at least 129 health and social care workers have died from coronavirus, according to NursingNotes.
Particular concern comes from visors, many of which are being 3D-printed by businesses that do not usually supply the healthcare sector.
The designs have been shown to have gaps that would allow aerosols and splashback to enter and put the medic at risk.
‘We are putting out a plea for any boiler suits, lab coats, painting suits, chemical suits or any kind of disposable (or washable) overall with full length sleeves,’ said Torbay Council
Doctors and nurses have been asked to reuse gear that is usually single-use, and to wear flimsy plastic aprons instead of full-length gowns that had run out.
The NHS uses an estimated 150,000 gowns every day. Public Health England had previously said that the gowns should be worn for all high-risk procedures.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock angered NHS medics earlier this month when he said to only use the protective equipment they need because it is a ‘precious resource’.
Addressing the nationwide shortage that has left nurses ‘petrified’ to fight the crisis, he claimed: ‘There is enough PPE to go around.’
NHS groups pleading for alternatives to the usual single-use PPE garments have added to the mounting concern.
Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of the Doctors’ Association UK, said: ‘It is not acceptable to be using gowns which are not fluid-repellant, or indeed rely just on flimsy plastic aprons and hope for the best.
‘Our own data from 1,500 doctors across over 250 sites suggests that just 25 per cent of respondents have access to proper long-sleeve gowns, and this trend is getting worse.’
According to data collected by the Doctors’ Association UK, hundreds of doctors have gone without masks, eye protection and gowns, including medics carrying out aerosol-generating procedures that present a greater risk of catching the virus.
The department of health and social care said: ‘We are working night and day to ensure our frontline health and social care staff have the equipment they need to tackle this virus.’
Interior designer Deborah Philbrow has set up a team of volunteers to sew hundreds of sets of scrubs for frontline NHS medics and care home staff who need personal protective equipment
The British Medical Association has also urged that all essential workers should be provided with face masks to combat the spread of Covid-19.
It is currently not compulsory to wear a mask or face covering in public, but ministers are considering recommendations made by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) following a review of current advice.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) council, is calling on the Government to ask all members of the public to cover their mouths and noses when going outside.
He told the Daily Telegraph that the doctors’ union believes all key workers outside of the NHS should be provided with masks or suitable face coverings.
The grim 20,000 milestone – which also saw the number of people testing positive for coronavirus rise by 4,913 to 148,377 – came as the coronavirus lockdown continued into its fifth weekend and the Government faced calls for greater transparency over the scientific advice given to ministers on the outbreak
He said this includes ‘transport workers, shopkeepers, carers or supermarket staff’ who are unable to abide by social distancing.
‘Common sense tells you that a barrier between people must offer a level of protection, however small,’ Dr Nagpaul said.
‘The Government must pursue all avenues of reducing the spread of infection.
‘This includes asking the public to wear face coverings to cover mouths and noses when people leave home for essential reasons.’