BLACK, ASIAN and minority ethnic (BAME) nursing staff are more likely to have problems accessing protective equipment, according to a new survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

The research found that for nursing staff working in high-risk environments (this includes those working in intensive and critical care units), less than half (43%) of respondents from a BAME background said they had enough eye and face protection equipment. 

This is in stark contrast to two-thirds (66%) of white British nursing staff.

Stark disparity

The disparity was equally stark when it came to fluid-repellent gowns, with 37% of BAME respondents saying they did not have enough to use during their shift with only 19% white British staff reporting the same concerns.

These results reinforce our call for BAME nursing staff to have specific risk assessments to reflect the risks they face as a result of COVID-19

Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing

More than half of BAME respondents (53%) also said they had been asked to re-use single-use PPE compared with 42% of white British respondents.

The survey also found similar differences for those working in non-high-risk environments such as those other than intensive or critical care units:

• Less than half (43%) of BAME respondents said they had enough eye protection compared with 66% of white British respondents
• Nearly half (49%) of BAME respondents said they had been asked to re-use single-use PPE compared with just over a third (37%) of their white British colleagues
• There was also a gap in training in what PPE to wear with 40% of BAME respondents saying they had not had training compared with just 31% of white British respondents

Across all settings there is a concerning gap in confidence in their protection at work with nearly a quarter (24%) of BAME nursing staff saying they had no confidence their employer is doing enough to adequately protect them from COVID-19 infection at work compared with just 11% of white British respondents lacking that confidence.

‘Unacceptable’

Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “It is simply unacceptable that we are in a situation where BAME nursing staff are less protected than other nursing staff.

“These results reinforce our call for BAME nursing staff to have specific risk assessments to reflect the risks they face as a result of COVID-19.

“All of our nursing staff must have the protection they need, and action must be taken urgently to ensure they are all kept safe.

“We look forward to getting more answers from Public Health England’s investigation into the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on BAME groups.”