‘NI nurses could refuse to work without proper PPE’ warning

RCN director Pat Cullen said she has written to the Health and Safety Executive NI to spell out the nurses’ concerns.

“It is absolutely clear – nurses work to a code of conduct in relation to their registration, and under the health and safety legislation in Northern Ireland it is absolutely clear that we can not, as registered nurses, do anything that will cause unnecessary harm to a patient,” told the BBC Nolan Show on Friday.

“By not having the required PPE (Personal Protection Equipment)...it will absolutely cause unnecessary suffering and harm to a patient. So therefore, there is an argument here, that if nurses don’t have the PPE, they will not be in a position to treat those patients.”

Ms Cullen said she did not wish to alarm the public, or nurses – and that she was only stating facts.

She said her message to the Department of Health is: “Please make sure that we have the proper PPE.”

At the Stormont Executive daily briefing yesterday, chief nursing officer Charlotte McArdle stressed that the Northern Ireland health trusts had “sufficient stock” of PPE at present.

At the same media briefing, Health Minister Robin Swann also stated that the stockpile of PPE was sufficient, but said he wanted to ensure the pipeline remained full also.

In London, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said he has agreed with the NI Executive to “immediately” provide five million items of PPE to meet their needs.