PPE REQUIREMENTS

The latest Public Health England (PHE) recommendations for PPE in secondary care are listed below.

When to use an FFP3 respirator

When carrying out aerosol generating procedures (AGP) on a patient with possible or confirmed COVID-19 in high risk areas where AGPs are being conducted (e.g. ICU).

Aerosol generating procedures

• Intubation, extubation and related procedures
• Tracheotomy/tracheostomy procedures
• Manual ventilation
• Open suctioning
• Bronchoscopy
• Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) e.g. Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ventilation (CPAP)
• Surgery and post-mortem procedures in which high-speed devices are used
• High-frequency oscillating ventilation (HFOV)
• High-flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO) (NOT standard Nasal Specs)
• Induction of sputum
• Some dental procedures (e.g. high speed drilling)
• If you are unsure if a procedure is aerosol-generating please ask before carrying it out

PPE should be put on and removed in an order that minimises the potential for self-contamination. The order for PPE removal is gloves, hand hygiene apron or gown, eye protection, hand hygiene, surgical face mask or FFP3 respirator, hand hygiene.

Mask use

• Fluid resistant surgical masks can be worn until damp (i.e. more than one patient)
• FFP3 can be worn for at least an hour (i.e. more than one patient)
• Once mask is removed from face (e.g. to have a drink) then must be disposed safely

If you require PPE, please contact Wightman & Parrish by emailing sales@w-p.co.uk and we will contact you to establish your PPE needs.