Former health secretary Matt Hancock has revealed alarming details at the Covid inquiry, stating that England’s hospitals were within hours of running out of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the early months of the pandemic. Hancock admitted that there were shortages of PPE during the first wave of the pandemic, with gowns running out at one point within six to seven hours. Although individual hospitals faced shortages, the country as a whole never completely ran out of PPE.
Hancock also expressed his belief that vaccines should be mandatory for NHS and social care staff during future pandemics, with masks being worn in hospitals from day one. He acknowledged that the UK was close to running out of gowns during April and May 2020, emphasizing the importance of ensuring adequate PPE supplies for healthcare workers.
Additionally, Hancock highlighted the necessity of having health and social care workers vaccinated, stating that it is a reasonable step to protect those in their care. He criticized the delay in implementing vaccination as a condition of deployment, noting that social care and the NHS should have had the rule at the same time. As part of his testimony, Hancock emphasized the need for proper reviews and consultations to ensure the effectiveness of legislation on important issues like assisted dying and leasehold reform.
In light of these revelations, healthcare professionals and policymakers are urged to prioritize adequate PPE supplies and vaccination requirements to protect frontline workers during public health emergencies.
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