PPE needs caught us by surprise, says expert
THE man in charge of providing protective equipment to NHS staff in Scotland has admitted flaws in the nation’s pandemic planning.
Jim Miller, director of procurement for National Services Scotland, also said the PPE being mass produced for the nation’s health and care workers ‘may not be of as high quality as we would like’.
Staff have complained about face masks being too thin and the elastics popping off while they are being worn, putting them at risk of infection while treating patients.
There have also been issues with masks being reportedly too loose, despite the fact equipment for health boards undergoes safety checks.
Mr Miller told the BBC the speed at which the global supply chain for PPE started to clog up ‘caught everyone by surprise’. ‘I think no one really understood exactly how quickly the demand would rise,’ he added. ‘Whilst it’s been very difficult to make sure we’ve got the supplies coming in, we’ve always had them coming in.’
Addressing problems with quality, he said: ‘Inevitably, when you’re talking about the volume of products that we have, there’ll be some that come in that are not of as high quality as we would like.’
A number of Scottish firms have switched production to make PPE instead of their usual products, which Mr Miller described as a ‘real success story’.
The Scottish Government has created a dedicated email address for NHS staff to contact if they do not have the PPE they need.
Firms now producing masks, aprons and gowns for the NHS include textiles manufacturer Don & Low. Its non-woven textiles plant in Forfar, Angus, normally creates plastic sheeting fabrics for industries such as horticulture and construction.
Another firm making the switch is Keela, in Glenrothes, Fife, which usually produces outdoor clothing for police and paramedics. Mr Miller added: ‘So far we have issued close on 700million items, with the depot moving from a six-days-a-week operation to a full-time, seven-days-a-week operation, and taking on more staff.’
The Scottish parliament’s health and sport committee will examine the country’s national emergency and resilience planning following the outbreak. The committee will investigate how prepared Scotland was for the pandemic and whether the Scottish Government could better manage future outbreaks of coronavirus or other pandemics.
Yesterday, The Times revealed a number of protective gowns had been binned by hospitals after concerns over its safety. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: ‘These items were not rejected although some health boards will choose to use an alternative product, while others are using them with no further reported feedback.’