Thank you for contacting me about PPE for NHS staff. Ensuring frontline staff have access to the PPE they require is of paramount importance.
Over 7 billion items of PPE have been delivered since the start of the pandemic. Almost 28 billion items of PPE have been ordered overall from UK-based manufacturers and international partners to provide a continuous supply. Government Ministers are confident that the stocks and sources of supply will meet the needs of health and social care settings over the coming months.
FFP3 face masks are designed for use when carrying out potentially infectious aerosol-generating procedures. Risk assessments in the workplace establish when different PPE is appropriate: FFP2 respirators may be more appropriate and deliver the required level of safety for the care a member of staff is delivering, FFP3 masks are not always necessary. I know that the Government has worked with the NHS and with a range of suppliers to ensure that health and care facilities have plenty of PPE of the correct standard.
I thank everyone who has been involved in the fight against Coronavirus on the Isle of Wight and will continue to monitor this issue closely.
