Coronavirus: Nurses told to refuse to treat virus patients 'as a last resort' over lack of PPE

George Martin
·3-min read
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 10: NHS workers in PPE attend to a patient at St Thomas' Hospital on April 10, 2020 in London, England. Public Easter events have been cancelled across the country, with the government urging the public to respect lockdown measures by celebrating the holiday in their homes. Over 1.5 million people across the world have been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, with over 7,000 fatalities recorded in the United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
NHS workers in PPE attend to a patient at St Thomas' Hospital in London. (Getty)

NHS nurses have been told they can refuse to treat coronavirus patients if they do not have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Guidance issued by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reportedly states that nurses should only refuse to provide care as a “last resort”.

It comes amid a nationwide shortage of PPE which has meant doctors and nurses are “putting their lives at risk” to treat patients, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).

This morning an RCN spokesman said: “For nursing staff, this will go against every instinct.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 10: NHS workers in PPE take a patient with an unknown condition from an ambulance at St Thomas' Hospital on April 10, 2020 in London, England. Public Easter events have been cancelled across the country, with the government urging the public to respect lockdown measures by celebrating the holiday in their homes. Over 1.5 million people across the world have been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, with over 7,000 fatalities recorded in the United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
NHS staff removing a patient from an ambulance at a London hospital. (Getty)

“But their safety must not be compromised. As the RCN, we offer support and guidance on the steps nursing staff can take before coming to that judgement.

“Nursing staff are extremely determined and the public can be reassured by that.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel, fielding questions at a Downing Street briefing on Saturday, said she was "sorry" if people felt there had been failings regarding the supply of PPE.

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After being asked twice if she would apologise to NHS staff and their families over supplies of PPE, Ms Patel said: "I'm sorry if people feel that there have been failings. I will be very, very clear about that.

"But at the same time, we are in an unprecedented global health pandemic right now.

"It is inevitable that the demand and the pressures on PPE and demand for PPE are going to be exponential. They are going to be incredibly high.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: A man wearing a mask walks past an NHS graffiti sign at Hilly Fields, South London on April 11, 2020 in London, England. Public Easter events have been cancelled across the country, with the government urging the public to respect lockdown measures by celebrating the holiday in their homes. Over 1.5 million people across the world have been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, with over 7,000 fatalities recorded in the United Kingdom. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
The British Medical Association said doctors and nurses are 'putting their lives at risk' to treat patients. (Getty)

"And of course we are trying to address that as a Government."

It comes as new research found that a third of surgeons and trainees across the UK do not believe they have an adequate supply of protective equipment to do their job safely.

A survey of nearly 2,000 surgeons and surgical trainees, published on Sunday, also found that 57% said there had been shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) at their organisations in the last 30 days.

Its vice-president Sue Hill said there was still a lot more work to do to get an adequate supply of equipment to the front lines.

She added: "Things are going broadly in the right direction with fewer surgeons telling us there is an inadequate supply of PPE in their trust now, than over the past month.

"But progress in this fast-moving crisis feels painfully slow.

"PPE supply should not be a postcode lottery - the most acutely affected areas need more kit, fast."

The BMA said the lack of PPE means doctors face a "heart-breaking" decision over whether to treat patients without proper protection and so put themselves at risk.

"It is absurd that the people trained to treat this disease are the ones who are not being appropriately protected – and without them, we face real disaster," said Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA council chair.

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