DAUK in The Evening Standard: Doctors and campaigners launch High Court challenge against Government over PPE inquiry

Doctors and campaigners have launched a High Court challenge against the Government over its refusal to hold an urgent public inquiry into PPE shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Scores of frontline healthcare workers have died while battling the Covid-19 crisis, while widespread complaints over PPE shortages for medics have been commonplace.

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The group, which is crowdfunding its case, says an inquiry which complies with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the right to life, should be automatic and is required in circumstances where those deaths and illnesses have been “caused or contributed to” by the state.

They also say such an investigation must take place “as soon as reasonably practicable” because there is an “urgent need to gather evidence and learn lessons” now, ahead of a possible second or third spike of infection.

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DAUK in The Telegraph: Doctors launch legal challenge over Government’s PPE ‘failures’

Dr Rinesh Parmar, chairman of the Doctors' Association UK, said: "We have seen over the last few weeks that the UK has one of the highest death rates from Covid-19 in the world.

"Health and social care workers rose to the challenge, returned to the frontline from retirement and pulled out all the stops to save lives.

"Some had no PPE, others had inadequate, out of date perishing supplies.

"Alongside caring for patients, we've cared for colleagues and also faced the sad and grim reality of losing colleagues, who themselves were caring for patients.

"Now is the time to learn key lessons to enable us to avoid future pitfalls, protect the frontline and ultimately save lives.

"Our calls for a public inquiry and our petition of nearly 120,000 signatures have all fallen on deaf ears as the Government buries its head in the sand and steadfastly refuses to commit to the learning required to prevent further tragedies."

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DAUK in the Guardian: UK ministers face legal challenge for refusal to order PPE inquiry

Ministers are facing a high court legal challenge after they refused to order an urgent investigation into the shortages of personal protective equipment faced by NHS staff during the pandemic. The case is being brought against Matt Hancock, the health and social care secretary, by the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK), the Good Law Project headed by Jolyon Maugham QC and the charity Hourglass, which campaigns on issues involving care homes.

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DAUK in The Daily Mirror:This Morning viewers rage as Matt Hancock brags NHS workers death rate and PPE were a success

"This Morning viewers were furious as they watched Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby quiz the Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Tuesday.

The government has been heavily criticised after frontline NHS workers claimed they did not have adequate PPE, but the MP insisted the death rate of 158 workers was a great success.

A shipment of PPE which was delayed was then found to not pass safety standards, while companies that created PPE said the government was not interested in buying it.

Images even circulated of doctors and nurses wearing makeshift PPE including raincoats to try to protect themselves.

Holly told the Health Secretary that the Doctors Association UK is demanding an enquiry into the failure to provide adequate PPE."

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