Covid-19: Inquiry hears of doctors’ lack of confidence in PPE as ministers defend VIP lane

National PPE approach was focused on hospitals

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers and deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told the inquiry that there was a lack of availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) in every part of the health service, but that it was particularly severe in general practices, community settings, and mental health services.1 He said members of the confederation believed that the national approach to PPE was focused on the acute sector. He cited a confederation survey of GPs in early 2020 in which 83% of respondents reported that they didn’t have proper access to masks with filters and 73% reported a lack of access to goggles and visors.

Giving evidence on 18 March, Mortimer highlighted problems with the availability of specific equipment such as masks fitted with respirators. “There was particular concern about the availability of equipment that could fit different types of faces, whether that was because of gender differences, or because of ethnic background or religious observance,” he said. Clinicians also lacked confidence in PPE guidance—particularly around what was and wasn’t an aerosol generating procedure—and “this drove concern and anxiety,” Mortimer said.

He added …