Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using anti-viral face masks in the NHS and social care settings.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates ‘face masks’ that are medical devices, those intended to be used in a clinical/health care setting for the protection of the patient rather than the wearer. The MHRA has not conducted or participated in an assessment of anti-viral medical face masks for use in a health care setting.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have been approached by a number of suppliers claiming to have products or technologies with anti-viral properties. The Innovation and Sustainability Team within NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently looking into these claims and their potential application across a range of items.