No safety advice for medics
The first NHS medics to test people in Scotland for coronavirus say they were given little advice on how to protect themselves from the illness or on how to carry out examinations.
The revelations were made in a review of the first two weeks of NHS Lothian’s pioneering community programme.
It comes amid an ongoing row over a lack of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) available to frontline staff. Last week, two nurses died in England after being infected. The claims raise serious questions about how prepared NHS Scotland was for Covid-19.
The then chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood promised on January 24 the country was ready. But the report, published in scientific journal Eurosurvelliance, revealed NHS Lothian’s Covid-19 Community Testing Team was given no guidance on how to use PPE when it began testing on February 6. PPE, which includes masks and gloves, is essential for safety. The review – whose main author is Dr Kate Mark, NHS Lothian’s directorate of public health – said the team designed its own PPE protocols because of “no guidance”.
It added: “There is a relative lack of guidance in infection prevention and control for donning and doffing PPE in the community.”
It also found holes in how the NHS was to carry out community testing.
The review added: “Covid-19 has required healthcare services to react and adapt their working patterns. There was no available guidance in Scotland.”
Prior to the formation of the team, suspected case tests cost £1500 each. Testing developed by NHS Lothian cost just £55 per patient. The programme was rolled out across Scotland.
The review recommended community testing should be a “priority” and there should be more training on PPE.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: “It’s vital mistakes are learned from as quickly as possible. We can’t afford to send brave health workers to the frontline without the necessary protective equipment.”