Covid: Demands for NHS staff to get higher quality masks

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An MSP is demanding assurances that NHS staff in Ayrshire and Arran are equipped with the best possible masks to protect them against Covid-19.Scottish Labour's Katy Clark has written to the region's health board to clarify if workers are being provided with FFP3 masks, as recommended by NHS unions and staff associations.She says the current PPE guidance has been “rendered outdated” due to evidence that airborne transmission is driving the Omicron variant.It comes after the British Medical Association (BMA), supported by the Doctors Association UK and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, wrote to hospital trusts in England and described the need to update guidance as a “matter of life and death”.FFP3 masks are tighter fitting than standard issue coverings and filter up to 99% of airborne particles, the highest of any FFP mask.Currently, the Scottish Government’s action plan on PPE indicates that FFP3 masks can be used for treatments.But just 15 per cent of clinicians who responded to a BMA Scotland survey this week said they are regularly provided with FFP3 masks or respirators when working in clinical areas with confirmed or suspected Covid patients.Ms Clark, who represents the West Scotland region, said: “It’s important that both staff and patients receive clarity on whether these masks are issued and in which circumstances.“There is a duty to provide a safe working environment for staff who work in clinical environments where they may be coming in contact with Covid but also in venues such as test centres.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free