Chesterfield Royal Hospital offers reassurances after pictures emerge of ‘out of date’ equipment

Workers contacted the Chesterfield and District Trades Union Council to raise concerns about what appear to be out of date masks being supplied to staff on the hospital’s accident and emergency department.

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Boxes have labels suggesting a use by date of 31/08/19 which appear to have been added to cover up a label stating a use by date of 2016.

The hospital said it had been reassured the PPE ‘remains effective and meets required safety standards’ following testing.

James Eaden, president of the Chesterfield and District Trades Union Council, said: “The shortage of PPE and the lack of testing for frontline staff have been constant issues raised through consultations we have carried out with workplace union representatives across North Derbyshire.

“The apparent supply of equipment past its use by date is an added concern for staff.

“We have been contacted by staff from the Royal raising concerns about lack of scrubs.

“It is vital that the issues of supply of PPE and the availability of testing to keep front line staff safe is addressed urgently.”

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Royal Hospital told the Derbyshire Times: “Everyone at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is working incredibly hard in these unprecedented and challenging circumstances.

“Right now, our duty to keep all of them safe and secure has never been more important – to make sure they are protected at work with the right tools and equipment.

“It is understandable that expiry dates on some items of PPE have been a source of concern, not just here at Chesterfield Royal, but across the country.

“We also raised this issue with the national supply chain earlier this week and now know that stringent scientific and safety tests have been carried out on ‘expired’ items in conjunction with Public Health England and PPE manufacturers.

“The results of this testing programme have allowed some items, including FFP3 masks, to be over-labelled with revised expiry dates.

“We are assured they remain effective and meet required safety standards.

“Throughout the last four weeks of the pandemic we have, on average, had three to five days of most PPE stock on site at any one time.

“This has been appropriate for the numbers of patients we are treating and to meet national infection control guidance about what PPE to wear – and when.

“There have been some slight issues with our stocks of linen (scrubs) mainly due to some staff choosing to wear them instead of their usual uniforms.

“They are not required in an outbreak and we’ve been supporting staff to make sure they understand what’s right for them to wear in their job and role.

“In light of this approach to the Chesterfield and District Trades Union Council we will continue to talk to our frontline teams to answer their questions and concerns directly.

“We absolutely appreciate everything they are doing to care for our patients – and to provide support services – and we want to ensure they feel confident and secure whilst doing so.”

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