Coronavirus: Hundreds of ventilators UK bought from China 'are wrong type and could kill patients if used'
"We believe that if used, significant patient harm, including death, is likely," the letter from senior doctors says.
Thursday 30 April 2020 21:10, UK
Hundreds of ventilators the UK government bought from China to relieve a major shortage are the wrong type and could kill patients, senior doctors have warned in a newly uncovered letter.
The medical staff behind the letter say the devices were designed for use in ambulances rather than hospitals, had an "unreliable" oxygen supply and were of "basic" quality.
Seen by Sky News' partner organisation NBC, the document also claims the ventilators cannot be cleaned properly, are an unfamiliar design and come with a confusing instruction manual.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove triumphantly announced the arrival of "300 ventilators from China" to help treat COVID-19 patients on 4 April. But the letter of warning from doctors was issued just nine days later.
"We believe that if used, significant patient harm, including death, is likely," it says.
"We look forward to the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive care ventilation for our patients."
It said the machine had been designed for use inside an ambulance rather than beside a hospital bed, making it the wrong type altogether - leaving medics forced to create a makeshift stand using hospital trolleys.
The letter claimed the ventilator's oxygen supply was "variable and unreliable" and that its fabric case could not be cleaned properly - essential in the struggle to curb a highly infectious virus.
It also arrived with a "non-EU" oxygen connection hose.
The UK has been beset by equipment shortages since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, finding itself among a number of countries forced into a desperate scramble to buy up medical devices.
The government has also faced a major dearth of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, amid criticism over its failure to sign up to a EU-wide procurement scheme.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the model in question was not being used in hospitals and that "no patients are at risk".
"Ventilators need to pass robust regulatory tests to ensure they are up to standard before they're delivered to NHS hospitals," a spokesperson added.
"We currently have around 10,900 mechanical ventilators available to NHS patients across the UK, as well as 4,300 non-invasive ventilators."
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The department insists the model was only ever intended as a transport ventilator to be kept in reserve, claiming different models were available to hospitals and that there was currently spare ventilator capacity across the country.
The letter raising concerns around the model was written by a senior anesthesia and intensive care doctor, representing a group of clinicians and senior managers working in and around Birmingham.
The Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust doctor had addressed it to a senior NHS official.
On 5 April, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK had between 9,000 and 10,000 ventilators - with an extra 2,000 spare attached to critical care beds - some way short of the 18,000 target he had previously set.
It comes as the number of people who have died in the UK with coronavirus reached 26,000, making it Europe's second worst-affected country.
The manufacturers of the ventilator and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have also been contacted for comment.