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A Preston health expert is calling for Government changes to help protect against the annual winter crises which causes huge pressure on the NHS.
Various hospital trusts declared critical incidents this winter with people urged to stay away from A&E amid long waits and overly-stretched resources. Janet Newsham, who is the coordinator at Greater Manchester Hazard’s Centre and chair of UK Hazards Campaign, believes her proposed changes could reduce the impact on hospitals and GPs.
Janey argues that improved airborne infection prevention and control measures in UK healthcare services would make a significant impact and wants to see Government changes made to improve standards in health and social care settings.
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These include improved new air quality and PPE rules along with monitoring and inspection to ensure compliance.
She has launched a petition urging the Government to make these changes. It states: “Covid and other infectious diseases are spread by airborne aerosols. There are key ways to prevent them, by improving air quality and using well-fitting respiratory masks.
“Some research has found that reinfection can increase the risk of long-term serious organ damage and care workers having amongst the highest prevalence of long Covid. There are many tools to protect people in health and social care, including improving ventilation/air filtration, reintroducing PPE masks and Covid testing, and supporting ill staff to stay home.”
This winter, the UK battled with a simultaneous flu, covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) issues and many trusts were forced to declare critical incidents.
Explaining her requests, Janet said: “The North-West was hit badly by Covid with the infection of thousands of workers leaving many with long term and life impact disabilities.
“A precautionary approach using health and safety principles should have protected people, but we know that infection control wasn’t implemented for an airborne virus in workplaces, including health and social care.”
Evidence given to the ongoing Covid Inquiry has questioned why the government’s messaging on how covid spreads focussed so strongly on hand-washing and wiping surfaces, rather than delivering the correct information that Covid-19 is primarily an airborne virus.
In his evidence, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock testified that he was well aware that, at times, healthcare workers treated Covid patients with inadequate PPE, thereby putting themselves at potential risk and he also knew that FFP3 masks were more protective than FRSM (surgical) masks.
Research carried out on Covid wards at Addenbrooke’s Hospital suggests that air filter machines removed almost all traces of airborne Covid virus.
The study was led by a team of doctors, scientists and engineers at Addenbrooke’s and the University of Cambridge in January, at the height of the second wave of the pandemic.
“There are many airborne risks especially in healthcare which should and can be prevented, reducing the risks for patients, visitors and staff. HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters can help to clean the air on wards and in high risk areas” Janet said.
“The UK Government and Parliament petition calling for these measures is one way that the public can let the government know that they want to be protected from airborne infections, while accessing healthcare.”
An All-Party Parliamentary Group for Long Covid has been set up and separately to this group, a letter has been sent to the chair of the Covid Inquiry, to invite her to “make urgent interim recommendations to make healthcare settings safe”.
You can view Janet’s petition here.
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