A truly shameful state of affairs
EVERY doctor knows from the day they enter medical school that there may come a time when they will be put at risk of catching a deadly disease.
Of course, for some doctors the risks are higher, depending on the medical specialty they choose.
But even for doctors dealing with the most deadly infections, the very least they expect is to have the equipment they need to protect themselves and their patients.
And yet according to a survey carried out by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) our doctors’ access to PPE appears to be getting worse. At the start of April some 22 per cent of RCP doctors said that they could not access the PPE they needed. On Wednesday that figure rose to 27 per cent.
It’s hardly surprising that this now means that one in four doctors is having to re-use vital protective clothing.
The figures make for very uncomfortable reading. Just 69 per cent of its doctors are always able to access vital long-sleeve gowns, while only 50 per cent can rely on there being enough goggles.
This is a truly terrible state of affairs. It’s immaterial to tell healthcare workers how many billion pieces of PPE have been ordered or supplied if it isn’t there when they need it and they are faced with the impossible and traumatic situation of putting themselves and their patients at risk.
It is clear that there is a chasm between what is needed and what is available.
And this is a very dangerous situation. For if we don’t have the right PPE it’ll be impossible to keep staff
safe and keep the infection under control in hospitals.
Yes, it’s encouraging that the Government has stepped up its efforts and appointed a new PPE ‘ tsar’, Lord Deighton. I hope that he will be frank and transparent.
If he can deliver more of the right PPE in the coming weeks he might begin to retrieve the confidence of healthcare professionals.
Crucially, this problem isn’t going to go away. Indeed, PPE will be needed into the foreseeable future.
The harsh truth is that we must not see the Covid-19 outbreak as a single ‘incident’ that will be over in a few months. Instead, we must expect the virus to be an ever-present, lurking threat in our hospitals, surgeries and care homes.
As patients come out of lockdown, the NHS is going to be busier than ever before. PPE, along with testing, will be critical to ensuring they and the staff caring for them are kept as safe as possible. Without it, the virus will continue to threaten the lives of many.