More NHS staff to get better protection from airborne Covid-19 risk

Thousands of hospital patients caught Covid and later died as a result of the virus spreading on wards

Higher grade protective masks have been limited in some parts of the NHS (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

More hospital staff could be given higher grade face masks to protect them from Coronavirus infection after Public Health England updated its official guidance, 15 months after the start of the pandemic.

In a new update published on Tuesday, PHE said hospitals should carry out risk assessments and if an “unacceptable risk of transmission remains” then the use of respirator masks should be considered.

PHE has faced criticism from clinicians for insisting most NHS staff would be safe from Covid by using just surgical masks despite mounting evidence that Covid-19 can be spread via airborne particles that travel further than larger droplets.

It had previously limited the use of respirators to staff involved in aerosol generating procedures such as in critical care units where patients are intubated with tubes down their throats.

The new guidance could pave the way for more NHS trusts to hand out higher grade respirator masks if they consider staff to be at an unacceptable risk.

In February, The Independent reported some NHS trusts were defying the rules and issuing staff with respirators amid concerns over the rate of spread of coronavirus within hospitals.

More than 35,000 Covid patients may have picked up the virus while they were already in hospital, with as many as 8,000 going on to die as a result.

Both the World Health Organisation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA have recognised Covid-19 as an airborne infection risk.

The Royal College of Nursing chief executive Pat Cullen said the latest PHE guidance did not go far enough. She said there should be a “precautionary approach” with staff provided with respirators across all health settings.

She said: “Those working in community settings, care homes and many other areas are being let down and remain unsure how best to protect themselves.

“Along with many other organisations, we have consistently urged that the health secretary and Prime Minister provide greater protection for all nursing staff. However, this guidance fails to properly consider the voices of those who were forced to work without protection at the start of the pandemic and act on those lessons.”

The British Medical Association said the guidance was a “step in the right direction” but added it believed doctors and other frontline staff should be given respirators as standard.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “Ultimately, if doctors become infected, not only is there a risk that they pass on the virus to patients, but if they become very ill they are unable to provide care and patients do not get the treatment they need.

“Therefore, employers must now look at this guidance and implement it locally, protecting staff, and in doing so, protecting patients and minimising the wider impact on health services.”