One in three health professionals report that their health has deteriorated since the start of the coronavirus crisis, according to a new survey.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and YouGov poll of 996 UK health workers found that doctors and nurses have been the most likely to report an impact on their physical wellbeing.
Furthermore, 72% of health workers in the poll said they believe the Government has failed to do ‘enough’, for example around issuing them PPE and tests, during the Covid-19 outbreak to secure their safety. In London, the epicentre of the UK, 80% said the same.
Health secretary Matt Hancock today announced that 27 NHS workers are confirmed to have died after contracting coronavirus, up from 19 last week.
Current Government figures show that a third of the 23,738 key workers tested have shown positive for Covid-19.
The Government has found itself under increased pressure for failing to provide NHS staff with sufficient and adequate protective equipment.
Last Friday, Mr Hancock announced plans to address PPE shortages in the NHS through a national supply and delivery network and through introducing new PPE guidance. He also introduced similar plans for social care today.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast about the deaths and supply of PPE, Mr Hancock said: ‘In each case, it’s important to investigate exactly what the reasons were, because of course some of my NHS colleagues will have caught coronavirus from patients in the line of duty, others may have it caught it and not been at work.
‘What we want to learn is what we can do better to protect our frontline workers both in the NHS and in social care, hence investigating each case to find out what happened.
‘And I think we owe that to our colleagues, as well who have given their lives in duty and in service.’
