Coronavirus: 200,000 defective gowns recalled from NHS hospitals

Exclusive: Hospitals told to quarantine defective gowns for collection after tests showed they failed to properly protect staff from infection

Thousands of defective gowns supplied to the NHS have been recalled (Getty/iStock)

Two hundred thousand defective gowns supplied to NHS hospitals have been recalled by the government because of fears they could leave staff at increased risk of coronavirus infection.

Hospitals have been told to check their stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) to identify the Flosteril non-sterile gowns and quarantine them immediately.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said tests carried out on the gowns, which were delivered in June, had shown that they did not meet the fluid-resistance standards originally claimed by the manufacturer.

There may also be “inconsistencies” in the material used to make the gowns.

An estimated 200,000 gowns are thought to be in circulation within the NHS after 600,000 were supplied by the company Vannin Healthcare Global, which is registered in the Isle of Man.

A director for the company told The Independent the gowns were manufactured by a different company, based in Turkey.

They said: “We had a slight hiccup with our product. We only learned about this two days ago but have taken immediate actions and are investigating what has happened.”

They would not reveal the name of the manufacturer or the value of the contract with the government.

The DHSC has been forced to arrange urgent replacement deliveries to hospitals that are in danger of running out of gowns. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, told MPs earlier this year that the NHS used about 150,000 gowns every day.

Hospitals were told on Tuesday this week not to dispose of the gowns but to keep them for two weeks until they can be collected after 31 August.

It is another embarrassing blow for the government over the supply of PPE to hospitals – an issue that prompted major criticism during the height of the Covid-19 crisis, when many hospitals ran out of equipment.

Earlier this week, The Independent revealed that the government had asked medical examiners to review the deaths from Covid-19 of more than 620 medical and care workers in order to determine whether they were infected as a result of their work.

During the crisis, many hospitals ran short of gowns, which were not part of the UK’s original pandemic stockpile of PPE. As hospitals ran short, guidance from Public Health England changed in April to advise staff to wear aprons – which it was hoped would prevent droplets from infected patients getting on to worker’s uniforms – instead of full-length waterproof gowns.

Earlier this month, it emerged that 50 million masks bought by the government in April could not be used because of concerns that they did not fit tightly enough to the face and left staff at risk of infection.

The masks used ear loops rather than fastening around the head. They were bought for the NHS from supplier Ayanda Capital as part of a £252m contract.

A DHSC spokesperson said of the recall of gowns: “The safety of health, care and all frontline staff is our top priority.

“We have been made aware of a defect with some Flosteril gowns and have issued advice to health and care providers to check their stock for these gowns, quarantine them and await further instructions on their collection.

“We are arranging replacement stock for those who need immediate supply.”