Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Out-of-control spin on PPE
Most people expect politicians to try to spin their way out of a difficult situation, however, when people's lives are at risk then surely it is reasonable to want a higher level of honesty and some humility about any mistakes that have been made.
That is certainly the expectation most of us have with the ongoing saga over the shortages of personal protective equipment for health and social care staff. It is only now that some of the failings around this issue are starting to emerge, and at the very least an apology is called for, alongside a public inquiry once all this is over to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes again.
The BBC report that an investigation by BBC Panorama found that vital items were left out of the stockpile of PPE when it was set up in 2009 and that the government subsequently ignored a warning from its own advisers to buy missing equipment:
The expert committee that advises the government on pandemics, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), recommended the purchase of gowns last June.
Gowns are currently one of the items in shortest supply in the UK and they are now difficult to source because of the global shortage of PPE.
Doctors and nurses have complained that there are also shortages of the life-saving FFP3 respirator masks.
Panorama has discovered that millions of FFP3 respirator masks are unaccounted for.
There were 33 million on the original 2009 procurement list for the stockpile, but only 12 million have been handed out.
The government refuses to explain where the other masks have gone.
The BBC adds that Panorama has spoken to a number of NHS insiders about PPE who wish to remain anonymous.
"There is a complete lack of transparency from the government. They are creating panic, as we don't know if they can supply us so we are scrambling to get it elsewhere," a head of procurement told the programme.
The government also failed to stockpile visors, the swabs needed for testing and the body bags needed for the dead.
Professor John Ashton, a public health expert and long-standing critic of the government, told the programme the lack of preparation was breathtaking.
"The consequence of not planning; not ordering kit; not having stockpiles is that we are sending into the front line doctors, nurses, other health workers and social care workers without the equipment to keep them safe," he said.
The government's priority now must be to put this right. However, once this is all over there needs to be answers as to why recommendations were not followed and why we were so unprepared for this pandemic.
That is certainly the expectation most of us have with the ongoing saga over the shortages of personal protective equipment for health and social care staff. It is only now that some of the failings around this issue are starting to emerge, and at the very least an apology is called for, alongside a public inquiry once all this is over to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes again.
The BBC report that an investigation by BBC Panorama found that vital items were left out of the stockpile of PPE when it was set up in 2009 and that the government subsequently ignored a warning from its own advisers to buy missing equipment:
The expert committee that advises the government on pandemics, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), recommended the purchase of gowns last June.
Gowns are currently one of the items in shortest supply in the UK and they are now difficult to source because of the global shortage of PPE.
Doctors and nurses have complained that there are also shortages of the life-saving FFP3 respirator masks.
Panorama has discovered that millions of FFP3 respirator masks are unaccounted for.
There were 33 million on the original 2009 procurement list for the stockpile, but only 12 million have been handed out.
The government refuses to explain where the other masks have gone.
The BBC adds that Panorama has spoken to a number of NHS insiders about PPE who wish to remain anonymous.
"There is a complete lack of transparency from the government. They are creating panic, as we don't know if they can supply us so we are scrambling to get it elsewhere," a head of procurement told the programme.
The government also failed to stockpile visors, the swabs needed for testing and the body bags needed for the dead.
Professor John Ashton, a public health expert and long-standing critic of the government, told the programme the lack of preparation was breathtaking.
"The consequence of not planning; not ordering kit; not having stockpiles is that we are sending into the front line doctors, nurses, other health workers and social care workers without the equipment to keep them safe," he said.
The government's priority now must be to put this right. However, once this is all over there needs to be answers as to why recommendations were not followed and why we were so unprepared for this pandemic.
