Coronavirus: Top doctor apologises over equipment shortages as more staff warn they’re at risk

‘We have a moral obligation to protect staff working in those situations and a duty to the country to keep our NHS strong in the face of this unprecedented crisis’

Physiotherapists work in intensive care helping Covid-19 patients to clear their lungs (Getty)

England’s deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries has apologised for saying the supply of protective equipment had been solved.

She acknowledged getting protective gear to places where there were shortages continued to be problematic.

Her comments at Tuesday’s Downing Street press conference came as more NHS staff said they were being put at risk.

Physiotherapists helping coronavirus patients on hospital wards have been threatened with disciplinary action if they raise concerns about a lack of protective equipment, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has said.

Doctors working across the country have told The Independent they have been gagged from speaking out, with some warned their social media was being monitored.

Speaking on Tuesday, Dr Jenny Harries said: “I stood here 10 days ago and said, probably optimistically now, ‘We’ve solved the PPE position’.

“My apologies, because 48 hours later our distribution issue had popped back up again.”

She said the supply of equipment had been “a bit tricky at times”.

On Tuesday, the CSP, which has more than 59,000 members, wrote to health ministers across the UK warning its members are being put at “unacceptable risk” because of a lack of masks, gloves and other kit.

Physiotherapists work alongside nurses and doctors in intensive care units helping coronavirus patients to clear their lungs.

The CSP said this means they face higher exposure to the virus, but many were “being encouraged to see patients without access to the appropriate level of personal protective equipment” the union said.

In the letter to ministers, Professor Karen Middleton, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: “The CSP has raised this issue with NHS England and Public Health England, including providing evidence of the issue at the weekend, and requested a change in the current guidance on PPE. We have heard nothing back from them.”

In a statement she added: “Physiotherapy staff are playing a critical role in treating patients with Covid-19 but are facing an unacceptable risk through a lack of appropriate protection.

“These concerns have been ignored for too long by governments across the UK, so we are now demanding that action is taken to protect not only our members, but the NHS as well.

“We have a moral obligation to protect staff working in those situations and a duty to the country to keep our NHS strong in the face of this unprecedented crisis.

“Ministers must step up and deliver appropriate protection for staff to deliver on those dual responsibilities.”

Downing Street said more than 170 million items of protective gear, including face masks, have been delivered to NHS hospitals and other clinical settings in recent weeks.

On Monday alone, some 2.3 million aprons, 870,000 eye protectors, 218,000 respiratory masks, 1 million surgical masks and 11 million gloves were sent out, with the army carrying out 24-hour deliveries.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman acknowledged that there had been “occasional issues” with out-of-hours deliveries, but added: “I have not seen anything to suggest that we currently don’t have enough. There have been some issues around getting orders to hospitals, particularly out of hours, but we have been using the military to address that”.