Matt Hancock has sparked a furious reaction after he suggested that NHS workers are using too much personal protective equipment while tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
SNP MP Ian Blackford slammed the Secretary of Health and Social Cares' statement, calling it "simply insulting"
It comes after the Daily Mirror reported pictures of desperate medics cutting up hospital curtains to make gowns and using bits of plastic as makeshift masks due to kit shortages.
Mr Hancock told the Today programme: “We have set out very clearly, based on deep epidemiological and medical research, having drawn out these guidelines with the representative bodies like the Royal College of Nursing and the BMA, we have drawn up guidelines on what to use.
“It is really important that people don’t overuse PPE either.
“I don’t want to impugn blame on people who have used more PPE than the guidelines suggest because I understand the difficulties in the circumstances.
“What I would say it is very important to use the right PPE and not overuse it.
“Of course there have been examples but I don’t want to stress that because I also understand the circumstances in which people might have used more PPE than was strictly necessary according to the guidelines.”
SNP MP Ian Blackford took to Twitter to share his anger at the comments made by Matt Hancock.
He said: "PPE is not a precious resource it is essential protection for those on the front line who are treating sick patients and involved in herculean efforts to keep us safe.
"This is simply insulting from Matt Hancock."
CN general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday that no PPE was “more precious a resource than a healthcare worker’s life, a nurse’s life, a doctor’s life”.
Speaking later on BBC Breakfast Dame Donna said that every day she was hearing from nurses saying they did not have enough protective equipment.
Dame Donna added: “I take offence actually that we are saying that healthcare workers are abusing or overusing PPE.
“I think what we know is, we don’t have enough supply and not enough regular supply of PPE."
