Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) evidence base used (b) authorities consulted by Public Health England in formulating its guidance on the use of PPE in care settings in which cardiac arrest is likely.

The United Kingdom’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance continues to recommend the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health and social care teams treating COVID-19 patients. It is crucial that everyone that needs it has access to the right protective equipment.

The Department’s, New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) recently reviewed the evidence and has maintained this position, stating that they do “not consider that the evidence supports chest compressions or defibrillation being procedures that are associated with a significantly increased risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections”. Further information is available at the following link:

https://app.box.com/s/3lkcbxepqixkg4mv640dpvvg978ixjtf/file/657486851975