Government guidance continues to put staff and patients at risk from the airborne nature of Covid-19

Fresh Air NHS, Patient Safety Learning and the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network are
calling for urgent change to the UK government’s guidelines on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which are failing to adequately protect healthcare workers against the airborne nature of the Covid-19 virus. Safety needs to be prioritised, not undermined, and all staff caring for Covid-19 patients should be provided with airborne PPE (i.e. FFP3 respirators) to protect them from the airborne nature of the virus, not just staff on the intensive care unit (ICU).

Dr David Tomlinson, a member of Fresh Air NHS, said: “The response from medical and political leaders to repeated pleas from the healthcare sector for better protection has been inadequate, unsafe, and unlawful.”

Helen Hughes, Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, said: “Providing enhanced PPE to
everyone working in non-ICU Covid-19 wards would offer much-needed reassurance that our leaders are committed to protecting both patients and staff from avoidable infection and the associated consequences.”

The full press statement can be accessed here.