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| Coronavirus: 'Low confidence' over arrival of PPE from Turkey, says NHS boss | Coronavirus: 'Low confidence' over arrival of PPE from Turkey, says NHS boss |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| There is "relatively low confidence" a delayed delivery of 400,000 protective gowns will arrive on Monday, a senior NHS figure has said. | There is "relatively low confidence" a delayed delivery of 400,000 protective gowns will arrive on Monday, a senior NHS figure has said. |
| The consignment had been expected to arrive from Turkey on Sunday. | The consignment had been expected to arrive from Turkey on Sunday. |
| Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC there was "no doubt" some hospital trusts already had shortages of the gowns, which protect those treating coronavirus patients. | Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC there was "no doubt" some hospital trusts already had shortages of the gowns, which protect those treating coronavirus patients. |
| A minister said he was "hopeful" the Turkish flight would leave on Monday. | |
| Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government was "working very hard" to resolve the issue but added there had been "challenges at the Turkish end". | Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government was "working very hard" to resolve the issue but added there had been "challenges at the Turkish end". |
| "I don't want to start making more and more promises but I understand that flight will take off this afternoon and those [gowns] will be delivered," he told BBC Breakfast. | "I don't want to start making more and more promises but I understand that flight will take off this afternoon and those [gowns] will be delivered," he told BBC Breakfast. |
| Mr Dowden said the government was working in "a competitive global environment" for securing personal protective equipment (PPE) and was working hard to deal with any supply issues. | |
| Another 25 million gowns from China had been procured and the UK would be "getting those shortly as well", he added. | |
| Mr Hopson, whose organisation represents healthcare trusts across England, said if the delayed consignment from Turkey did arrive on Monday it would "probably arrive very late on in the day". | Mr Hopson, whose organisation represents healthcare trusts across England, said if the delayed consignment from Turkey did arrive on Monday it would "probably arrive very late on in the day". |
| "It just illustrates that we need to be careful about focusing on individual consignments," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. | "It just illustrates that we need to be careful about focusing on individual consignments," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. |
| "Bitter experience over the last few weeks has shown until a consignment of gowns has actually landed - that the boxes have been checked and the equipment's been tested - the NHS simply can't count on the gowns being available at the front line." | "Bitter experience over the last few weeks has shown until a consignment of gowns has actually landed - that the boxes have been checked and the equipment's been tested - the NHS simply can't count on the gowns being available at the front line." |
| Mr Hopson gave the example of an expected consignment of 200,000 gowns from China which actually only contained 20,000 gowns when it arrived last week. | Mr Hopson gave the example of an expected consignment of 200,000 gowns from China which actually only contained 20,000 gowns when it arrived last week. |
| "We know that with other orders, when the boxes were opened up and it said on the outside 'gowns', when you opened it up, they were actually masks," he said. | "We know that with other orders, when the boxes were opened up and it said on the outside 'gowns', when you opened it up, they were actually masks," he said. |
| "But I suppose the question we will need to ask when all this is over is, actually, was the pandemic stock reserve that was meant to tide us over correctly configured?" | "But I suppose the question we will need to ask when all this is over is, actually, was the pandemic stock reserve that was meant to tide us over correctly configured?" |
| Mr Hopson added that while the 400,000 gowns would be welcome, NHS staff were getting through approximately 150,000 gowns a day. | |
| "What we really need to get to is from the current rather hand-to-mouth approach to where sustainable supplies consistently and reliably arrive," he said. | |
| Public Health England changed its advice on Friday to allow the NHS to re-use gowns if stock was running low, saying "some compromise" was needed "in times of extreme shortages". | |
| Mr Hopson said some trusts had taken to washing fluid-repellent gowns at 60C and had found, when washed a maximum three times, they remained resistant. | |
| The number of people who have died in UK hospitals with coronavirus has passed 16,000, with a further 596 deaths announced on Sunday. | |
| The figure does not include those who died in care homes or in the community. | |
| BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said while Sunday's figure was the lowest for nearly two weeks, figures often dropped at weekends because of delays in reporting and recording deaths. | |
| In other developments: |