£2m safety gear bill

Kent County Council (KCC) has admitted personal protective equipment (PPE) stocks are “exhausted” as the local authority spends around £2 million to replenish supplies.

County Hall’s emergency purchases for ‘bulk’ PPE will include hand sanitisers, wipes, aprons, masks, gloves and goggles. This comes shortly after KCC was told it would receive £39m of extra funds from the Government as part of UK-wide financial boosts for local authorities.

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said 45 million pieces of PPE would be delivered across the UK.

He added Public Health England has released new guidance on what medics should wear to protect themselves.

However, an urgent decision was made by KCC’s finance department to press ahead with buying equipment last week, amid a global shortage of PPE stocks with suppliers looking for orders to be confirmed in just under a day – as demand outstrips capacity.

Meanwhile a dentist claimed a delay in suspending non-urgent care, made on March 25, and lack of PPE put lives at unnecessary risk.

The dentist, who only spoke on condition of anonymity, said they only had standard surgical provisions, which he says would have been ineffective in preventing infection.

However, an NHS spokesman said millions more items of personal protective equipment were due to be going out to frontline staff.

But there has been better news on equipment as a technology company in Harrietsham, hopes one of its products could help detect early signs of coronavirus.

Bedfont invents medical devices to improve breathing and one of its creations is the NObreath FeNO monitor – a certified test for airway inflammation, which can detect if someone is suffering from asthma and requires medication.

The firm is now suggesting, as the infection caused by coronavirus can lead to respiratory conditions such as pneumonia, which causes inflammation, NObreath could also be used to detect whether a patient might have Covid-19.

South East Health Technology Alliance has since been in touch with Bedfont, and as a response to the plea for more testing to be carried out, the company has recommended its product to the NHS and Department of Health.

It is waiting to hear back as to whether it could be used.