On Tuesday 29th September, the British Medical Association (BMA) questioned the government about plans around sufficient stock of Personal and Protective Equipment (PPE) as the UK embraces for a second Covid-19 wave.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said, “With a second wave upon us, health and care workers must be properly protected this time. There must be no repeat of the terrible examples of insufficient quantities of PPE, which put doctors at risk and under pressure to see patients without feeling adequately protected at the start of the pandemic.
“More non-Covid care is now being provided, and as the Government has rightly recognised, this means there is still a huge demand for PPE. Given the NHS is likely to be hit by a triple whammy of rising Covid cases, winter pressures, and the additional work involved in dealing with the backlog of care, however, we need urgent assurance that this stockpile of PPE will be sufficient.
“There needs to be transparency and detail of scenarios of projected demand both in the NHS and social care to show that there will be adequate quantities of PPE available on the ground for health and care workers. We also need information about how this will work with the logistics of delivery of PPE that had caused difficulties in the first wave.
“Although the Strategy speaks of a four-month stockpile, the BMA also believes that a longer duration will be necessary given the escalating spread of the infection and that plans should be put in place for continued supplies.
“PPE must also meet the diverse needs of staff, including deaf healthcare workers and those who have religious dress practices. It’s encouraging to see the Government listening to the practical difficulties faced by some BAME healthcare workers and women in the health service.”
