Barely protection? Gowns tomorrow is not good enough for heroes on caring frontline from Atherstone across the UK battling 150,000-killer today

WITH CORONAVIRUS CLAIMING THE LIVES OF 60 NHS WORKERS IN THE UK ALREADY, WHY WAS PPE GUIDANCE APPARENTLY CHANGED?

NUB News tonight joined the growing chorus of anger and concern that Atherstone and North Warwickshire's frontline angels, ambulance staff and care professionals are going "effectively naked" into battle against the world's most deadliest enemy in 100 years.

At least 60 NHS workers have died after contracting coronavirus and now it appears Government guidance on wearing personal protective equipment is being hastily redrawn "based on availability, not on evidence or best practice".

Union leaders say faith in Health Secretary Matt Hancock is "draining away" after the change in PPE guidance, suggesting he might have to consider his position.

Rachel Harrison, national officer of the GMB, said the union raised critical protective equipment supply issues with the Government more than a month ago.

"It took until last Friday for ministers' PPE plan to be published, and it's falling apart after just a week. It is key workers on the front line who are paying the price for this litany of failure.

"It appears Government guidance is being hastily redrawn based on availability, not on evidence or best practice. This is downright dangerous territory and one that will amplify the concerns of NHS staff."

"He must urgently explain how this apparently non-clinical decision was made to downgrade public health advice in apparent contravention of global standards and previous advice.

NHS and ambulance staff will now face unacceptable risks as a result of gross ministerial incompetence.

"We won't let this go unchallenged and will now review the steps we need to take protect our members."

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: "The continued lack of PPE is a national scandal and the Government's litany of broken promises over the last month is shameful.

"The public is looking on aghast as brave doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are risking their lives to provide care to very sick patients – yet they don't have the necessary protection to carry out their roles.

"Health Secretary Matt Hancock needs to sort out the logjam in PPE supplies urgently, otherwise he may have to consider his position as this situation can't continue, as health professionals would be quite right to decline to put themselves in danger.

"This would go against every instinct in their body and every tenet of their professional training, but already the public is very alarmed at the rising toll of NHS staff who have died due to coronavirus as they have battled the pandemic.

"We are not just talking about NHS staff in hospitals, but those working in the community, such as health visitors and community nurses, and those employed in social care settings, such as care homes.

"Unite has already advised its 100,000 members that reluctantly NHS and social care staff could legitimately and lawfully decline to put themselves in further danger and risk of injury at work."

Despite promises by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick tonight that "a very large consignment" of PPE – 84 tonnes of equipment including 400,000 gowns – is due to arrive in the UK from Turkey tomorrow, the cries of anguish from health professionals were amplified by surgeons being advised "not to risk their health" by working without adequate PPE amid fears hospials could run out of supplies.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) said it was "deeply disturbed" that medics could be asked to reuse items or wear different kit when treating Covid-19 patients.

Healthcare staff treating positive patients have been given guidance that they should wear long-sleeved disposable fluid-repellent gowns but, because of shortages, they have just been advised they could be asked to reuse PPE or wear aprons.

The fear from medics comes as more than 15,000 patients have now died in hospital after testing positive for the disease in the UK, with thousands more deaths expected in care homes.

Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, told a Downing Street briefing that it was "absolutely critical above everything else" that supplies were delivered to the front line so the guidance on on wearing gowns could be followed.

"I know Government is working incredibly hard to get those procurements in as you have heard," he said on Saturday.

"But what I hear from my clinical colleagues is that what they need is PPE delivered to the front line to follow the guidance that was agreed with them two weeks ago."

Professor Neil Mortensen, president-elect of the RCS, said the latest advice implied that surgeons may not require adequate PPE, which he called "simply unacceptable".

He echoed advice from the Royal College of Nursing that says nurses should refuse to

treat patients "as a last resort" if they are not provided with adequate equipment. "If fluid repellent gowns or coveralls are not available, then surgeons should not risk their health," Prof Mortensen said in a statement. The UK's fight against Covid-19 is already tragic reading – with 15,464 people who have lost their lives and two-thirds of those (10,091) coming in the last 12 days. Exactly half of the UK's 114,217 confirmed cases have been recorded in the same time frame. Now we have stopped publishing our 'recovered' cases – after originally posting the total of 135 for days on end – and we have slipped another place, to 60th, in the tests-per-million-population world league table. The UK number of hospital deaths in the last 24 hours is second only in total to the US figure and represents around one-eighth of the world's recorded fatalities in the last 24 hours. It is also feared that care home deaths could be as high as 7,500 while only 217 have been offically reported up to April 3. Kent retains the 'hot spot' for coronavirus in the upper tier local authority table with 2,193 people testing positive for the virus – Birmingham is second with 2,133. Warwickshire has 787 confirmed cases (26 up on yesterday), Coventry 487 – Atherstone's neighbouring counties Staffordshire has 1,159 cases and Leicestershire 635. By region, London now has 20,904 cases, East and West Midlands is 13,963 combined, the North West 13,237 and the South East 11,885. One heartening piece of news from the Government tonight came from Mr jenrick who said close family must be able to attend funerals and cemeteries and graveyards must remain open, Attendees will need to adhere to physical distancing measures but the Government minister added: "I'm asking councils to keep open or indeed to reopen cemeteries and graveyards…for people to make that private visit and seek solace at the grave of someone you've loved or to privately lay flowers. "These are small steps, but small mercies can make a difference." Mr Jenrick said he had also "made it clear" to councils that all parks must remain open after some closed their gates in recent weeks. But he warned people must abide by social-distancing rules, and not congregate int he green spaces. It emerged that the Queen's birthday will not be marked by gun salutes in what is believed to be a first due to the coronavirus crisis while fundraising hero Captain Tom Moore, 99, has been invited to be guest of honour at the opening of the new Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate next week. As governments across the globe have pinned their hopes on antibody tests, senior World Health Organisation epidemiologists warn there is no proof those who have been infected cannot be infected again. Speaking at a press conference i Geneva, Dr Maria van Kerkhove said: "There are a lot of countries that are suggesting using rapid diagnostic serological tests to be able to capture what they think will be a measure of immunity. "Right now, we have no evidence that the use of a serological test can show that an individual has immunity or is protected from reinfection." Unluckiest virus news involved a New York mum who accidentally gave 17 of her 18 children Covid-19 because she was asymptomatic and didn't realise she had the infection. Brittany Jencik from Penfield reportedly passed the virus to her children – some of whom are adopted – about five weeks ago, Deaths across the globe now total more than 150,000 with 2.3 million recorded cases while more than 4.5 billion people are under containment to slow the pandemic.