Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 68
The widespread adoption of continuous facemask wearing in health and social care settings has made...
Recommendation
The widespread adoption of continuous facemask wearing in health and social care settings has made effective communication impossible for patients and healthcare professionals who lip-read, and much more difficult for Deaf people who use British Sign Language and people with disabilities which mean they are more reliant on facial expressions for communication. We therefore strongly welcome the development of medically approved transparent facemasks and the Government’s procurement of 250,000 pieces for distribution in the NHS and to social care providers. This is a good first step towards fully meeting the Equality Act’s Public Sector Equality Duty and reasonable adjustment obligations to disabled people, by ensuring that clear facemasks are readily accessible across the whole health and social care system, based on need. We are not, however, aware of any analysis of the adequacy of 250,000 masks to meet current or ongoing needs. We ask that the Department of Health and Social Care update us, in its response to this Report, on: progress in distributing clear face masks to NHS Trusts; the effectiveness of the pilot system to distribute the masks to social care providers through Local Resilience Forums; its assessment of the level of need for clear facemasks across health and social care services; and its plans for further procurement and distribution.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response discusses funding for special educational needs and disability (SEND) education, not addressing the recommendation regarding clear facemasks or the request for updates on their distribution and assessment of need.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
68
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
In the second half of 2020, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) procured 250,000 transparent face masks from ClearMask, which were piloted with the health and social care systems. The pilot demonstrated that transparent masks were valued and proved a need for them. Like all close-fitting masks, a number of masks will need to be made available to satisfy the needs of all potential wearers, which will all need to meet the standards set out in the Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance. Building on this pilot, soft market engagement is being undertaken and there will be an assessment of a broader scope of products from a range of manufacturers to inform future procurement. This assessment will test different types of transparent masks that are currently at prototype stage, against a new technical specification being developed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. This will include assessing the need and appropriateness of different masks for each end-user and setting, taking into account the feedback received from the ClearMask pilot. For example, a different mask may be needed in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or for Speech and Language Therapists, or different masks may suit the needs of lip readers or patients with dementia. DHSC will send a sample of masks to and seek feedback from a range of stakeholders, including representatives from adult social care, those who are deaf or have hearing loss, children and young people and people with a learning disability and autistic people. Future procurement of any transparent masks will be informed by this work. DHSC are clear that transparent masks that are of the right standard and quality must be provided to the relevant clinical and care specialisms that need them.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗