RCP president Professor Andrew Goddard was interviewed by The Guardian on Monday 6 April and talked about the PHE guidance, testing and other COVID-19 related issues:
‘When I was interviewed at the beginning of the week it was specifically about what I thought of the then new PHE guidance, which I supported because the messages that had gone out before were confusing and PPE was being used in very different ways in similar settings. I pointed out that supply remains a big issue and therefore as a limited resource it is important we ensure we all follow the same guidance and maximise the use of a precious resource. I certainly was not blaming any hard-working NHS staff in the absence of clear guidance and I am disappointed that my words were used in that context - the issue was a confusion about what people should wear. The journalist also missed out my quote that PPE supply to nurses, social care and primary care was a particular concern.
This erroneous portrayal of the situation goes against all the work I have done in speaking out about the lack of PPE over the last few weeks, feeding back to the NHS where shortages are being reported by our doctors, including our survey last week which showed 22% of physicians cannot get the PPE they need. Ironically it was the Guardian that reported this last Sunday.'