NHS gowns 'suspended' from use due to packaging concern

The use of ten million surgical gowns, bought by the UK government, has been suspended for frontline NHS staff because of how the items were packaged.

Sterile gowns were bought for £70m from a US firm last year, but safety concerns were raised when they arrived in one layer of protective packaging.

The contract had not requested double packaging, as used in sterile settings.

The government says all personal protective equipment (PPE) is quality assured, but Labour has called for an inquiry into the awarding of contracts.

The BBC has been investigating the purchase of PPE - or personal protective equipment - for NHS staff since the beginning of the pandemic. It has already been revealed how millions of face masks bought by the UK government cannot be used in the NHS as intended.

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Source: BBC News, 8 February 2021