NOT SO CLEAR
Thousands of clear face masks ‘not safe’ to protect frontline NHS staff from Covid-19 after ‘not being tested properly’
by Britta ZeltmannTHOUSANDS of clear face masks that were "not tested properly" have been deemed unsafe to protect NHS workers from coronavirus.
Some NHS trusts have rejected the masks altogether - leaving those who rely on them to communicate unable to work on the front line.
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The Government announced last week that 250,000 clear masks purchased by the Department of Health would be sent to front line NHS and social care workers to support those who rely on lip-reading or facial expressions to communicate.
The Department of Health said the masks, manufactured by US company ClearMask, met the Government’s “strict safety standards”.
But in a memo seen by The Telegraph and sent to groups who raised concerns, DHSC admitted they have “not been tested to the same standards as surgical masks”.
It adds that they have not been assessed for “bacterial filtration efficiency” to determine “protection from the wearer to the patient".
Some NHS Trusts have reportedly told staff they cannot be used in clinical settings, leaving deaf workers unable to return to work on the frontline.
'NOT SAFE AT ALL'
Asha Hylton, a critical care nurse who is deaf, was told by King’s College London Hospital Trust that the new masks cannot be used on her ward.
She said: “We could potentially get Covid patients so we need a mask that is suitable to a surgical level to protect us and it's not.
“It’s really frustrating because… I want to be with my patients doing the job that I'm trained in, but (the Trust) said it's not safe at all.”
The Department of Health now claims the masks were bought as a “pilot” and feedback will influence any future purchase.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) said they are “really worried” about what tests the masks have gone through before approval.
Kamini Gadhok, CEO of RCSLT, asked: “Can this mask be used by a health practitioner if they're within two metres, or will it not protect the patient if that person has got Covid?”
Ms Gadhok said the RCSLT were not informed of the pilot and that it is not the responsibility of users to work out how effective they are.
According to the ClearMask website, the masks are “non-medical” masks which cost £52 for 24.
It means they will have cost the taxpayer almost £550,000, after the Department of Health's purchase.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the masks passed the Health and Safety Executive’s “rigorous safety checks”, and that they are being piloted to “inform future procurement”.