Health chiefs tell RAH staff ‘expired’ masks safe to use
Staff raise fears after labels reveal 2016 use-by date
Health bosses have moved to reassure medics at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital that their personal protective equipment is safe after face masks were thought to be four years out of date.
The masks, which have been distributed to hundreds of healthcare professionals across Renfrewshire in a bid to stop them catching coronavirus, have an expiration date of 2016.
The date was revealed when the current 2021 expiration label sewn into the masks was peeled back by a nurse who works for the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said the four-yearold masks were discovered by staff at both the RAH and Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
But chiefs at the health board say all PPE equipment with an old expiration date have been tested and if found to still be effective were issued with a new use-by date.
A spokeswoma n for NHSGGC said: “We are working extensively to source personal protective equipment to the appropriate quality and quantity so staff are protected.
“These products are part of the UK pandemic stock and NHS supply chain and Public Health England have worked with manufacturers and/ or independent test houses to formally test certain products, to see if it is possible to extend their life via accelerated age testing.
“The products that pass these stringent tests are being re-labelled and used and those which are not up to standard are being destroyed before distribution from the pandemic stock.
“Any masks distributed to our sites are safe and can continue to be used.”
But nurses and other healthcare workers say this crucial information about PPE should have been communicated to all staff months ago, as opposed to leaving health care workers feeling vulnerable and exposed to the deadly virus.
The nurse said: “My argument with that is, if they are saying they are alright to use, why bother putting new labels on them.
“If they deemed them safe to use after 2016, why bother putting the new label on, is it just to shut people up.
“We are dealing with a global pandemic, people are dying, Glasgow is the worst hit area in Scotland and this is what we are dealing with.”
She added: “One of my colleagues has tested positive for Covid-19 and she feels the PPE is dreadful.
“We are wearing a white plastic apron over our tunics.
“It is so thin and it doesn’t cover our arms or most of our body, it’s just really the front, the rest of us is really exposed.
“It’s a horrendous situation to be in.”
Renfrewshire businesses hoping to join the fight against coronavirus by making personal protective equipment ( PPE) are being asked to contact the Scottish Government.
The call has been issued by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which says the items must be tested to ensure they meet the right quality standards.
The health board, which has received offers of help from companies across the region, has explained a team has been established within the government to guide businesses on what equipment is needed and what is required to meet official NHS standards.
Writing on its social media channels, a spokesman for NHSGGC said: “Thank you for donations of PPE and other supplies.
“Many businesses are looking at how they can use their existing expertise to produce supplies of things they are hearing are much-needed in the system – including PPE, scrubs etc.
“Supplies accepted into use across the health and social care system must meet certain quality and safety s tandards.
“A single point of contact has been created by the Scottish Government and we have been asked to direct any business, community or voluntary organisation now wishing to make donations to email: Covid19NHSsupplychain@gov.scot.”
If they deemed them safe to use after 2016, why bother putting new labels on them?