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Jeremy Hunt has defended a decision to side-line nurses from a key parliamentary discussion today on personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff treating coronavirus, following criticism from nursing leaders.
The Royal College of Nursing hit out at the fact that only medics were invited to share evidence to a Health and Social Care Committee hearing about the levels of PPE available for professionals on the frontline.
“Nurses are not expendable - they are the frontline defence"
Donna Kinnair
The college said it was “disappointed not to be included in this committee session” as nursing staff made up the largest group in health and social care.
Earlier this week, the RCN wrote to prime minister Boris Johnson demanding urgent action over the availability of PPE and Covid-19 testing for nurses.
Chief executive and general secretary of the college, Dame Donna Kinnair, today reiterated her concerns on this issue and said she had heard from nurses directly who “do not feel confident around the advice they are getting” on PPE.
She warned that “different facilities are adopting different measures, whilst treating similar patients”.
Dame Donna promised to “keep putting pressure on the government to address the issue of PPE provision and guidance”.
“Nurses are not expendable - they are the frontline defence,” she said. “We need equipment, not excuses.”
Responding to the college's concerns, Health and Social Care Committee chair Mr Hunt said he had spoken with Dame Donna prior to the session and that her comments “informed” his questions during it.
Jeremy Hunt
“MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee value the essential work that is being carried out in our hospitals and our communities by dedicated nursing staff,” said Mr Hunt.
“Those who gave evidence today raised crucial issues based on the experiences of frontline medical staff, particularly on the shortages of PPE which affect all staff offering care.
“I spoke to Donna Kinnair of the RCN ahead of the evidence session. Her comments informed my questions which we came back to repeatedly.”
It also was announced on Monday that the Army had now been called in to help deliver and distribute PPE supplies to the frontline across England.
The trade union Unison has also piled pressure on the government this week in a letter to health and social care secretary Matt Hancock over communication concerns around PPE.
The letter urged the government to step up communication with health workers and flagged concerns over widespread confusion on what PPE staff should be using.
It said there were contradictions between guidance from Public Health England and the World Health Organization that were only adding to uncertainty for staff.
"Staff need to know that the government is doing everything possible to sort issues”
Sara Gorton
It also reiterated concerns over PPE shortages which it said were compromising staff and patient safety.
Unison head of health, Sara Gorton, who wrote the letter, said: “It's vital the government acts immediately to reassure all health workers they’ll soon have everything necessary.
Sara Gorton
“While supply problems are being addressed, staff need to know that the government and their senior managers are doing everything possible to sort issues.”
She said that health workers needed “urgent clarification on what protective equipment is needed to do their jobs”.
Ms Gorton warned that staff also needed a “guarantee everything is being done now to keep them as safe as possible”.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said the government was “working around the clock to give the NHS and the wider social care sector the equipment and support” needed for the outbreak of coronavirus.
According to the department, over the last two days, more than 15 million facemasks have been delivered to the frontline.
It said that deliveries sent out yesterday included 24.6 million gloves and 1.9 million eye protectors.
“The full weight of the government is behind this effort and we are working closely with industry, social care providers, the NHS, and the Army so all our NHS and care staff have the protection they deserve,” the spokesperson said.
I’m very pleased that you have highlighted the near total absence of the nursing voice. No senior nurses have written to the newspapers as doctors have. Very few nurses at at all have been on television expressing a professional view on this issue. The Chief Nurse as far as I’m aware has not appeared with the CMO at least in England. The same lack of public voice was also apparent when nurse staffing was under scrutiny.
Over the years I cannot help but feel like Mr J Hunt has a problem with Nurses. In such an important discussion about PPE of which nursing and healthcare assistant numbers are the majority in contact with the patients, and yet none of the nursing representatives have been asked to the table. #Notgoodenough
I think it’s a poor show. The evidence from Italy has highlighted the number of healthcare workers that have paid with their lives. 50% of the staff here are isolating or unwell. If this isn’t enough to say to the government that we as nurses are worthy of an opinion… then I dont know what it.