Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the adequacy of the personal protective clothing issued to staff working in covid-19 testing centres.

In line with the national Public Health England guidance, there are different personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements dependent on the role test site staff take within the testing sites. In the case of the walk-in local testing sites, the PPE requirements are set out in the local testing sites’ Standard Operating Procedure. Test operatives, for tester assisted testing, are required to wear disposable gloves; a disposable plastic apron; a fluid-resistant (Type IIR) surgical mask; and reusable eye protection.