Why not sterilise all health care gowns?

that ‘Black Lives Matter’ across! Robert Readman Bournemouth, Dorset

I READ with interest the article on Mulberry making 8,000 designer gowns for staff at Bristol hospitals recently.

To quote: “They are being made from a fluid-resistant, washable material that allows for them to be re-used in line with government guidance”.

I served my National Service in the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) in 1959/60. I was stationed at BMH (British Military Hospital), Paris.

During this period I spent some time working in the CSD (Central Sterilisation Department). We regularly sterilised surgeons’, doctors’, nurses’ and other staff apparel in a machine called an autoclave for re-use. This sterilised items at high temperature using high-pressure steam.

If I remember correctly we even sterilised soiled sheets which had been sluiced down and washed beforehand.

So why can’t this be done today? It would save the expense of disposable gowns, be cheaper than buying the designer versions, and help save the planet from the scourge of throwaway plastics.

Gil Osman Shirehampton, Bristol that the EU trading with the UK is insignificant, this simply is not true.

I also did some research on this and came up with data from the House of Commons Library report entitled ‘Statistics on UK-EU trade’ which states the following and I quote: ‘The EU, taken as a whole is the UK’s largest trading partner. In 2018, UK exports to the EU were £291 billion (45% of all UK exports). UK imports from the EU were £357 billion (53% of all UK imports)’.

I would appreciate publishing this data to let your readers be aware of this, thank-you.

Peter Hull via email