New guidelines on facemasks welcome but must be communicated properly to the public, says NHS Providers

Responding to the announcement that NHS patients, staff and visitors must continue to wear face coverings in healthcare settings, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said:

“Trust leaders will be pleased that national leaders have heeded their calls for a single national approach on infection control measures such as masks and social distancing across the NHS ahead of the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on Monday 19th July. These measures are vital to keep patients safe, many of whom are clinically vulnerable, as well as visitors and staff.

“A single, uniform, approach across all these different healthcare settings means there is no room for confusion.

“But with just four days to go before July 19th, we now need a public information campaign to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of this guidance and what is expected of them if they need to visit healthcare settings from Monday onwards.

“Frontline staff have already had to deal with confrontations with a small number of very determined members of the public who refuse to follow the guidance. National leaders must be clear that there will be zero tolerance of any member of the public failing to follow the rules or abusing NHS staff trying to enforce them.