The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says its repeated warnings about the airborne transmission of COVID-19 were ignored by government, wasting opportunities to protect nursing staff until it was ‘too late’.
Supplies of protective equipment were ‘insufficient’, which combined with the refusal to acknowledge how the disease was spreading, saw health care workers ‘put their own lives, and the lives of their families and patients, at risk.’
The RCN has told the inquiry how the College provided the UK government and devolved administrations with detailed independent scientific evidence demonstrating the virus was spread through the air.
In its written submission to the inquiry, the RCN says ‘the government dismissed such evidence and found in favour of ongoing enforcement of droplet transmission despite the absence of supporting evidence.’
A ‘serious lack of critical thinking and engagement by the UK government and its agencies’ about transmission was compounded by failures to supply the correct type and amount of personal protective equipment (PPE). The RCN points out that in one hospital ‘17 different types of masks’ were being used.
The RCN told the inquiry that the voice of nursing and ‘experiences of those on the frontline of health care was often not considered or dangerously overlooked.’ This resulted in guidance that was not fit for purpose, which had a ‘detrimental, sometimes fatal, impact.’
The failure to protect nursing staff saw disproportionate numbers contract COVID-19, with many today living with the debilitating effects of Long-COVID, unable to work as normal, or at all. The RCN says the government must follow other European countries by classifying COVID-19 as an occupational disease, allowing staff to access vital financial compensation for loss of earnings.
In its evidence, the RCN also outlined how staffing levels were known by government to be too low to deliver effective ‘surge capacity’ in the event of an outbreak. These failings were identified well before 2020, and in March 2020, the time of the first lockdown, nursing vacancies in the NHS in England alone stood at 36,083.
Fenella Morris KC, RCN Counsel to the inquiry, said:
“There was a serious lack of engagement from the UK IPC cell and the College’s expectation was that stakeholders such as itself would be proactively engaged, especially given the seriousness of the situation in the development of guidance.
“But as the pandemic progressed, its professional correspondence and offers to support were ignored and offers to meet were turned down.
“The College expected that, given the fundamental role of the nursing profession, the guidance making bodies would want to engage with them. Nurses had unique expertise. This lack of engagement prevented the College from putting forward a practical and clinical rationale for amendments to guidance.”
Rose Gallagher, RCN Professional lead for Infection Prevention and Control, said:
“Throughout the pandemic, the Royal College of Nursing regularly raised concerns and provided detailed evidence on how the virus was spreading and the need for greater, more specific protection. However, government agencies did not listen, undermining the pandemic response and the protection of health care workers, ultimately exposing staff to a dangerous, sometimes fatal, disease.
“For many nursing professionals, the government’s failure to listen is still being felt today. Long COVID has destroyed careers and caused serious financial hardship. The government must stop dragging its feet and classify COVID-19 as an occupational disease so that those impacted can receive financial support.
“At the heart of this is a need for all governments to learn lessons. Investing in a struggling nursing workforce is critical, as is a shift in culture, towards one which listens to frontline clinicians.”
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