Covid inquiry reveals £10bn PPE waste, midwife shares harrowing experience
Midwife Laura Matthews has expressed enduring anger over the UK government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, following the Covid inquiry's findings that Boris Johnson's government wasted £10bn on personal protective equipment (PPE). In a letter to the Guardian, Matthews detailed the fear and frustration she experienced while working on the front line without adequate protection.
Memories of fear and inadequate protection
Matthews recalled being fitted for an FFP3 mask, only to be told there were not enough to go around and being given a basic paper mask instead. She also remembered being told that the hospital could not keep providing clean scrubs, forcing her to take potentially infected scrubs home to wash. Management shut down computers to enforce social distancing, then reopened them when they realized staff needed them to do their jobs.
Risking lives without proper equipment
She described being sent into homes where people had Covid to see new mothers and babies, wondering if she would die as a result. Matthews noted the contrast with Tory MPs joking that all workplaces were having social drinks after work, while her staffroom was just 2 metres by 1 metre for 20 staff, who had to supply their own washing-up liquid. After shifts, she rushed home to scrub off infection to protect her family.
No bonus, no trust in government
Matthews stated that her anger remains, and she did not receive a bonus or particularly good pay. Hearing about the staggering sums squandered by Johnson's government has made her reluctant to trust any government again. She hopes Johnson is ashamed of his legacy, though she doubts it.
