Doctors buying own masks from DIY stores

DOCTORS are resorting to buying dust masks from DIY stores amid a shortage of protective equipment at work.

The British Medical Association said some have even asked on building sites.

It is calling for frontline staff to be given proper protective equipment for treating patients who have or may have Covid-19.

The BMA has heard many of its members do not have the right protective equipment, or if they do, it is in very short supply.

The Association says employers have a responsibility to protect staff and to make sure that enough reliable masks, gowns, goggles and gloves are available. GPs and hospital doctors have told the BMA they feel they are putting themselves at risk treating patients because there isn’t any protective equipment available.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA chair of council, said: ‘Frontline staff must have the proper personal protective equipment if they are treating patients with Covid-19 or suspected to have Covid-19.

‘We are hearing of staff trying to buy masks from DIY stores in desperation because they are not being provided with it by their employers. This is unacceptable. The Government must find a reliable way to increase the production and distribution of PPE [personal protective equipment].

‘If any healthcare worker, treating someone with Covid-19 was to become ill, or worse, due to a lack of PPE, the consequences will be dire and the impact on patient care catastrophic.’

A University of Edinburgh public health expert called for NHS workers to be tested for coronavirus.

The Scottish Government is testing health workers with symptoms but Professor of Global Public Health Devi Sridhar wants this to be more widespread among staff, such as those exposed to the virus. She also said unless testing is dramatically increased, the true extent of it will not be clear.

Professor Sridhar said: ‘There needs to be prioritised testing of health workers. They are the people who are most exposed.’

Disease expert Professor Hugh Pennington said there nothing preventing the UK introducing mass, South Korean-style, drive-through coronavirus community testing within a matter of days.

He said Britain needs to do a ‘hell of a lot more testing’ to discover where ‘the virus is going under the radar’.