A consignment of 13,000 ‘filtering face piece’ masks were delivered to the Island and were already being distributed around the General Hospital when staff were told the products’ shelf-lives had been extended, the JEP has been told.
As health staff tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the government yesterday announced that the number of deaths in Jersey as a result of, or suspected, Covid-19 had risen to 19.
An email, seen by the JEP, was sent to all Health Department staff from ‘Health and Community Services Communications’ on Wednesday morning to explain that the FFP3 masks were either beyond their use-by limit or had been relabelled with new dates.
A senior consultant responded to the email expressing his concern about the UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s ‘unconvincing’ attempt to reassure the public about problems with the supply of Personal Protective Equipment.
The Health Department has since responded that all products had been stringently tested to ensure that they were safe to use.
The situation in Jersey mirrors the experience of healthcare workers in England, with criticism on social media last month after 2021 use-by stickers were affixed to packaging originally marked with a date of 2016.
One Jersey nurse told the JEP that health staff were aware of the situation in the UK and that managers had not been upfront with employees in the Island.
‘It is almost as if the government in Jersey responded because they had been forced to,’ the nurse said. ‘If they had said, “we’ve got this stuff from Public Health England. It is past its shelf life, but has been tested for safety”, and two days later we had taken delivery of it on the wards, that would be one thing, but these masks were already being rolled out without any explanation and people were noticing that, in many cases, they were eight years past their use-by date.
‘The manufacturers [3M] say they should be used within five years. Where is the statement from 3M guaranteeing their safety?
‘People were starting to challenge it and it was making people very anxious, especially as we were hearing reports from colleagues in other parts of the Hospital that they were using PPE for longer than it was supposed to be worn for, or reusing disposable PPE.
‘A lot of people felt this was not open and honest and do not trust the people making decisions at the top. It felt like deception. It is as if they do not feel that they owe us an explanation until they are forced to give one, because they have been found out.
‘And the fact that they don’t put their name to the email to staff is very telling. It feels like they are trying to avoid accountability. The fact that a consultant emailed us to voice his concerns does not inspire much confidence.’
The JEP has been told that the elastic straps are snapping on the out-of-date face masks because the rubber is too old. A post on the ‘Worker Health and Safety’ page of the website of manufacturer 3M said that PPE could deteriorate over time, with components such as the strap and nose-foam liable to degrade, affecting the quality of the fit and seal.
The JEP has also spoken to other health workers who share the nurses concern and frustration about the out-of-date equipment.
In a statement, group medical director Patrick Armstrong said that some PPE products sent to Jersey from the NHS stock had expired use-by dates or had been relabelled with renewed dates.
‘Islanders can be assured that all products received have passed stringent testing to demonstrate that they are safe and fit to use,’ he said.
‘The PPE is tested in extreme conditions for prolonged periods to test durability. Any that are not up to standard are destroyed and not distributed.
‘The Health and Safety Executive UK were content with the assessment of the equipment for use by health staff.’
Kenny McNeil, convenor for the Jersey branch of the Royal College of Nursing, said yesterday that he was unaware of the issues regarding the face masks, but spoke previously about concern among nurses regarding PPE.
‘There is anxiety among staff – I think the advice has changed four times in the last three weeks and that has caused some concern,’ he said. ‘People are not sure whether these changes are being made for patient and staff safety, or whether it is all about supply.’
