NHS staff caring for coronavirus patients at a Fife hospital fear stocks of equipment designed to keep them safe will not last beyond the weekend.
Several nurses working at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy have contacted The Courier to highlight “a dire shortage” of personal protective equipment (PPE).
They fear could soon run out if the hospital becomes overwhelmed with new patients in need of urgent help after contracting covid-19.
One nurse said there was now a real concern among many frontline colleagues that they were being put at extra risk of catching the virus because of the lack of equipment.
“There have been occasions when we have had maybe 30 staff tending to patients, yet only two or three of those staff fully protected,” said the nurse.
“It’s shocking and very worrying but we want to carry on are trying to do our best for patients despite the serious risks to both ourselves and our own families.”
Another frontline worker said some staff had resorted to buying their own kit because of the lack of supply.
Some frontline staff have even taken to social media to appeal to organisations and businesses who may have PPE to come forward.
“The directives regarding PPE are changing almost daily but by far the biggest concern amongst staff is the fear of running out in the next two or three days,” one nurse said.
A spokesman for NHS Fife confirmed a new distribution hub had now been established at Whiteman’s Brae opposite Victoria hospital ready to distribute PPE to healthcare sites across the Kingdom.
Responding to the concerns, NHS Fife Director of Nursing, Helen Buchanan, said: “We understand the anxiety of staff and their families; however, we are clear that we continue to have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment.
“Stock levels are monitored daily by our lead nurses and senior charge nurses and there is a clear line of escalation when additional supplies are required.
“The establishment of our new PPE distribution hub strengthens our position still further, and assists us to process our deliveries of PPE quickly and get it out to all areas that need it.
“Despite challenges across the UK around the supply of PPE, NHS Fife has continued to receive regular supplies through national procurement arrangements.
“The Board’s supplies have been further supplemented by a number of local businesses, who have donated approved FFP3 masks and other items to support the Board’s response to covid-19 in Fife.”
NHS Fife Director of Finance, Margo McGurk, said the scale of management and distribution of such volumes of equipment had been unprecedented especially given the urgent need.
She added:Â “National guidelines were recently published setting out the specific protective equipment requirements in each clinical environment.
“NHS Fife is operating in accordance with these guidelines to ensure that neither staff nor patients are exposed to potential harm at any stage.
“The availability of PPE across the UK continues to be a source of some concern from healthcare workers and their loved ones.”
