Masks to read lips will soon be ready for NHS

A see-through face mask that makes lipreading possible has been developed and approved for NHS use.

The transparent device is now registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a CE marked medical mask.

This means it conforms to health, safety, and environmental protection standards in Europe and can be utilised by hospitals, care homes and in primary care.

It includes the same level of bacterial filtration and splash protection as surgical masks most commonly worn in medical settings, developers from Addenbrooke’s Hospital said.

The masks do not use metal components and can be worn by patients and those administering MRI scans, and in operating theatres where communication between surgeons is challenging using nonclear personal protective equipment (PPE).

The mask is clear at the top with three-ply filter material below the chin.

Professor Paul White led the project, which started last April, in response to a need highlighted by a nurse who wears hearing aids.

Junior sister Emma Ayling, who manages the outpatient department at Cambridge’s Rosie Hospital, is an accomplished lipreader and raised the need for such a mask.

Prof White said: “There has been a need for a clear mask, which meets our functional, bacterial and viral requirements, across the whole health and care system since the start of the pandemic.

“The mask has now gone through clinical evaluation, and independent viral and bacterial testing.”