Paramedics ‘chastised’ for using better PPE on lockdown callouts

were sometimes “chastised” for using higherlevel PPE in callouts during the pandemic, an inquiry has heard.

Giving evidence on day 43 of the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry’s health and social care impact hearings, Tracy Nicholls from the College of Paramedics said official guidance on what PPE should be used during the pandemic was inadequate for paramedics, due to the “unique” challenges they faced when responding to call-outs. She said the fluid-resistant surgical masks, aprons and gloves stipulated by the guidance were often insufficient when working in a patient’s home, or when in the back of an ambulance in close proximity to a patient.

She also told the inquiry that early in the pandemic, when there was not enough evidence to be sure that the virus was not airborne, a “precautionary principle”shouldhavebeenfollowed when drawing up guidance to minimise the risk to paramedics and patients.

She said paramedics were sometimes challenged when they did opt to use higherlevel PPE in particular situations.

She said: “Sometimes the members told us that the equipment was actually locked away so they couldn’t access it unless they had given a rationale as to why they had used higher RPE [respiratory protective equipment] when the guidance said you should be OK using a fluid-resistant surgical mask. “Paramedics are registered, autonomous, pre-hospital clinicians and they make a dynamic risk assessment about a situation, and they should be trusted to do so rather than chastised for doing something they feel is better placed for them in that particular situation.”

Earlier the inquiry heard from a care home managparamedics er who said care staff had felt “second best” compared with NHS staff who had priority on PPE and benefitted from schemes like special shopping hours.

Duncan Mcdonald, a house manager at Erskine Home in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, during the pandemic, told the inquiry: “Social care’s always been the poor cousin of care.

“I’ve got friends in the NHS and massive respect to them, especially during what happened, but we felt that we were the second best again.”