BAME nursing staff experiencing greatest PPE shortages

A new Royal College of Nursing survey has revealed that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) nursing staff are more likely to be left without PPE.

This is despite ongoing warnings that BAME nursing staff may be disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

The latest RCN member-wide survey shows that for nursing staff working in high-risk environments, including intensive and critical care units, less than half of respondents from a BAME background said they had enough eye and face protection equipment. This is in stark contrast to 66 per cent of white British nursing staff.

The survey also found that there were disparities in access to fluid-repellent gowns and in cases of nursing staff being asked to re-use single-use PPE items.

The survey found similar gaps for those working in non-high-risk environments. Meanwhile, staff reported differences in PPE training, with 40 per cent of BAME respondents saying they had not had training compared with just 31 per cent of white British respondents.

Nearly a quarter of BAME nursing staff said they had no confidence that their employer is doing enough to protect them from coronavirus, compared with only 11 per cent of white British respondents.

Dame Donna Kinnair, RCN chief executive, said: “It is simply unacceptable that we are in a situation where BAME nursing staff are less protected than other nursing staff. These results reinforce our call for BAME nursing staff to have specific risk assessments to reflect the risks they face as a result of Covid-19.

“All of our nursing staff must have the protection they need, and action must be taken urgently to ensure they are all kept safe. We look forward to getting more answers from Public Health England’s investigation into the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on BAME groups.”