According to the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) doctors are being “bullied and shamed” to treat patients without any protective personal equipment (PPE).
A junior doctor reported that the paediatricians are being forced to attend deliveries of pregnant mums to be who are diagnosed with coronavirus, with no face masks.
Due to shortages on PPE some NHS frontline staff have been “told to hold their breathe” said DAUK.
A London doctor reported there have been “severe rationing” and “paediatricians attending deliveries with Covid-19-positive mothers in just a flimsy apron and no FFP3 mask.”
DAUK president Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden said: “Lack of personal protective equipment continues to be a critical issue.
“It is heartbreaking to hear that some staff have been told to simply ‘hold their breath’ due to lack of masks.
“Doctors are dying. Nurses are dying. We are devastated, and can no longer stand by and and watch as more dedicated colleagues lose their life.”
The DAUK said, based on 500 reports thus far from 193 hospital trusts and GP practices, some 72% of doctors cannot get hold of an FFP3 mask when they need one.
The report also said, 77% report shortages of long-sleeved gowns, whilst 43% cannot always use a visor or goggles when they need them.
MP Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokeswoman said: “It is absolutely shocking to hear from medical professionals about the risks they are having to take in providing care for our loved ones and the fear they have of speaking up regarding the availability of appropriate PPE.
“Despite promises from ministers, it’s clear that our frontline health and care workforce still do not have adequate supplies of the correct protective equipment.
“It is simply unacceptable that so many staff feel they are being put in harm’s way due to shortages of essential kit, in turn risking the health of their loved ones and other patients.
“They should not need to rely on crowdfunding, donations from schools and makeshift visors to do these critical roles.”
hospital doctor told the BMA: “The quality of our eye protection and apron is useless. Some of the PPE provided feels like a tick-box exercise just for psychological reassurance.”
A GP said, “I feel betrayed by the government who are not transparent enough to say that they do not have the ideal supplies and therefore are asking us to put ourselves in harm’s way with suboptimal protection.”
Another hospital doctor told the British Medical Association (BMA), “The quality of our eye protection and apron is useless.
“Some of the PPE provided feels like a tick-box exercise just for psychological reassurance.”
A GP said, “I feel betrayed by the government who are not transparent enough to say that they do not have the ideal supplies and therefore are asking us to put ourselves in harm’s way with suboptimal protection.”
But, Dr Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP, which represents mainly hospital doctors in England said, “Things are much better than they were a week ago. People on the ground are saying that it’s getting better, though there are still some distribution issues within hospitals.”
Dr Goddard added, “In a survey we ran last week, 22% of staff said they didn’t have access to the PPE they needed.
“That is adding to the anxiety and emotional challenge of working in these settings, as working on Covid wards is a scary situation.
“That 22% needs to become 0% as soon as possible.”
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