MATT Hancock has been blasted by a nurses chief who hit back at claims that medics are ‘abusing and overusing PPE on Britain’s coronavirus frontline.
The Health Secretary faced criticism from the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) today after ministers said personal protective equipment should be treated as a “precious resource”.
Mr Hancock said yesterday that there is enough to around if it used in line with official guidance – but it is taking a “herculean effort” from the government.
But RCN general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair hit back and said no PPE was “more precious a resource than a healthcare worker’s life, a nurse’s life, a doctor’s life”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Dame Donna added: “I take offence actually that we are saying that healthcare workers are abusing or overusing PPE.
“I think what we know is, we don’t have enough supply and not enough regular supply of PPE.
“This is the number one priority nurses are bringing to my attention, that they do not have adequate supply of protective equipment.”
The BMA medical union warned on Friday that PPE supplies in London and Yorkshire are at “dangerously low levels”.
It came after the health secretary announced that 19 NHS heroes have died in Britain’s fight against coronavirus.
He paid tribute to the medics today and said an investigation would be launched into each death.
He told BBC Breakfast on Saturday: “My heart goes out to their families, these are people who have put themselves on the front line.
“The work is going on to establish whether they caught coronavirus in the line of duty while at work or whether, like so many other people, caught it in the rest of their lives. It is obviously quite difficult to work that out.
“What matters is we pay tribute to their service.”
Britain’s daily death toll rose by 980 in the last 24 hours to 8,958– making it the biggest rise yet and more deadly Spain’s worst day of their outbreak.
The grim figures from the Department of Health also reveal the total number of cases has risen to 70,272 – up from 65,077 infections yesterday.
