Healthcare staff working in some of the most high-risk Covid-19 settings, including practices, are still struggling to access the protective personal equipment – and the situation is worsening, according to several new surveys.

Royal College of Physicians president Professor Andrew Goddard described the continued lack of equipment as “truly terrible”, adding that health workers are risking their lives. The latest surveys came as the British Medical Association (BMA) has written to the Government urging for it to ensure the families of healthcare workers who die from Covid-19 receive full death-in-service benefits.

Six medical royal colleges combined today to write to government supplies overseer, Lord Deighton, calling for urgent action. The heads of the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of GPs, Royal College of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Surgeons, Royal College of Emergency Medicine and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have signed the letter to Lord Deighton, the Times reports.

They write: “Doctors, nurses and other health and social care professionals are used to managing the unexpected, but they can do that best when they are kept informed and communicated with honestly.
Just as clinicians have a duty of candour with patients and their families, the government must observe the same principle with the profession. We encourage you to be open and frank about the challenges you face, while doing everything possible to get the supplies to where they are needed.”

A survey of GPs by Pulse magazine found that 25% reported having seen virus-infected patients without protective equipment. Some two-thirds of GPs say they will now refuse to see patients face to face if they have not been provided with equipment. Only a third reported having adequate supplies of masks. 675 doctors took part in the survey.

Professor Goddard said: “We’re living through the darkest times the NHS has ever faced. The lack of personal protective equipment remains their biggest concern and it is truly terrible that supply has worsened over the past three weeks rather than improved. Healthcare workers risking their lives couldn’t care less how many billion pieces of equipment have been ordered or supplied. If it isn’t there when they need it, they are in harm’s way.

“It is encouraging that testing rates have improved for staff and that sickness rates have fallen. However, we are only six weeks into what will be many months of upheaval for the NHS and getting services back up and running is going to need Herculean effort.Testing and PPE supply will be critical in getting ‘normal’ services going and we mustn’t underestimate the challenges ahead. As the number of Covid-19 cases fall, one of those challenges is getting doctors back into their normal working areas. Until this happens ‘normal’ business can’t restart.”

* The UK’s hospital death toll from Covid-19 passed 20,000 over the weekend. Some 813 deaths were reported on Saturday and 413 yesterday, bringing the total to 20,732, representing more than a tenth of the worldwide total of reported deaths.