1. Risk assessments the Trust conducted or conducts for employees who are required to wear disposable surgical masks for entire shifts. Please specify how this complies with Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Section 3.
To limit or reduce the exposure of a virus transmission to staff, patients or visitors, the Trust assesses the risks to the health and safety of its employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work. This is in line with Reg 3 of the MHSW Regulations.
The Trust follows advice provided by Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive and other Regulatory Bodies around minimising the spread of COVID to patients, visitors, and staff within Acute Healthcare settings.
The requirements and recommendations are reviewed by the Trust’s Directorate of Infection, Prevention & Control.
Procedures are put in place by the Trust around the provision, use, storage and disposal of PPE provided to staff; the wearing of surgical masks (or other face coverings) is based on reducing the spread of COVID and the inability to adhere to social distancing due to the provision of care.
Alternative types of PPE are available, on request. Should one type of PPE not be appropriate, other types of PPE was available. Staff are encouraged to take regular breaks in fresh air. This would allow the removal of the face coverings for a period of time.
2. Data in possession of the Trust on the short and long-term physical effects of inhaling fibres and chemicals contained in disposable surgical masks for up to 40 hours or more per week.
This information has not been captured by the Trust. In addition, I do not believe that the Trust had been advised by any Regulatory or Advisory bodies to review face coverings to enable a response to questions 2 to 5.
3. List of chemicals and fibres contained in disposable surgical masks worn by staff in patient facing roles
This information has not been captured by the Trust. In addition, I do not believe that the Trust had been advised by any Regulatory or Advisory bodies to review face coverings to enable a response to questions 2 to 5.
4. Data in possession of the Trust on the effects of oxygen deprivation and re-breathing exhaled CO2 and Other gases whilst wearing a disposable surgical mask for 8 hours during a typical shift
This information has not been captured by the Trust. In addition, I do not believe that the Trust had been advised by any Regulatory or Advisory bodies to review face coverings to enable a response to questions 2 to 5.
5. Data in possession of the Trust on psychological effects on staff who feel forced to wear masks for their entire shifts.
Any staff member who escalates concerns with mask wearing are assessed by the Trust’s Occupational Health on an individual basis and adjustments were implemented where practicable.
6. How long the Trust intends to keep mask mandates given that the nation has moved on from these Impositions and covid is no longer the problem it was.
The Trust monitors daily our total number of Covid in-patients, outbreaks, new daily positives, and staff outbreaks. The Trust saw a significant rise in all categories when we stopped wearing in September. The Trust is currently seeing a high number of admissions with different types of respiratory viruses and in order to keep our patients and staff safe have made the decision to continue to wear masks to help prevent the spread of infections. The Trust will continue to monitor, unfortunately we don't have an exact time frame for the continued use of masks.
