A Scottish GP has resorted to using home-made and donated protective coronavirus protective gear because of a shortage of appropriate kit for his team.

Dr Robert Coull, from the Strachur practice on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, says one doctor even had to use a bra as a facemask because they had had no masks.

“Some of the stuff they are sending us is rubbish,” he told healthandcare.scot.

“They say things like we are sending out millions of pieces of equipment, what they mean is they are sending out lots of rolls of 200 plastic pinnies.

“It’s toy store stuff, it’s not real stuff.”

Concerns over supplies of PPE to frontline health and care workers have become a central issue in the response to coronavirus.

Ministers say every GP practice will receive stocks this week but staff on the ground in remote and rural practices say it is not getting through.

Dr Coull says another doctor had to improvise because she didn’t have a mask:

“I’ve got a colleague who had to use a bra as a mask to see a patient, they followed the [US] Centre for Disease Control guidance to use articles of clothing, so she folded a bra in two over her face and hooked the straps over her ears.”

He and colleagues are unhappy about what he says is “watered down” guidance about what levels of protection doctors should wear, saying their fears are rooted in the experience in Italy, where there were “heavy, heavy medical casualties” at the start of the outbreak.

Strachur medical practice has turned to a network of volunteers and good Samaritans to fill the gap. It was the first in Scotland to start 3D printing its own masks while members of the local community are sewing gowns for the practice team.

“One of my doctors and one of my nurses today were out to see a patient where they wore full home-made stuff and gowns – they managed to get a donation from local businesses of paper suits and they used the mask we printed up”, Dr Coull told healthandcare.scot.

“I would recommend everybody uses community sourcing and 3D printing.”

But people who put these community groups together, he says, “are being told they are not wanted” by the NHS.  

The doctor believes governments have “not being transparent” about the situation.

“They completely screwed up, they messed up February completely, they just sat on their hands.

“I don’t know why, we were sitting here buying equipment in February because we could see what was coming, they’ve just inexplicably done almost nothing. It’s insane.”

Now the practice, which was the first in Scotland to move to a telephone triage system so staff would not be exposed to the virus, has drastically cut down face-to-face contact with patients.

“The only direct examination we’re doing just now on possible covid patients is [through] an on open window and we will put the saturation monitor on their finger and take it back,” he says.

“We are not examining people under normal circumstances, I don’t think that would be safe, not with the equipment.”

Dr Andrew Buist, the chair of the BMA's Scottish GP committee says they have had assurances that further PPE supplies are on their way:  

“We are aware of concerns colleagues have had around the supply and distribution of PPE. We have taken those concerns to the Scottish Government and the Cabinet Secretary for Health, who has listened to us and taken our comments on board.

"We are in daily contact with the government, and have been assured that further supplies of PPE are due to be made this week – we expect some have already been made, with others to be delivered before Friday.

"We will of course continue to monitor the situation carefully and raise any further issues with the government as things progress.”

The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.

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