Worthing care home cleaner banned from wearing coronavirus face mask: ‘I think it’s dangerous’

Winnie Catchpole, 65, has worked at Care for Veterans in Boundary Road for 15 years, but took unpaid leave after bosses stopped her from wearing a mask she had bought herself.

Staff at the care home are all required to wear an apron and gloves, but Winnie said not allowing face masks was ‘dangerous’.

“I think it’s dangerous, but how can I argue with them?” said Winnie, who lives in Dominion Road.

“I know for my safety I have to go home. I feel anxiety and stress when I’m not wearing the mask and working around all the residents, cleaning around their beds and their tables.

“I feel upset because I’m just trying to protect myself and other people. If I had the virus and didn’t know, I could pass it to the residents and to my colleagues. I don’t understand why they don’t let me wear it.”

Winnie, who is originally from Hong Kong, suggested the reason infections in places such as China, Hong Kong and South Korea had been kept relatively under control was because wearing masks was already part of the culture.

But Care for Veterans’ chief executive, Andy Neaves, has defended the decision and said the home was following World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health England guidelines in banning face masks.

He said there is speculation that wearing masks can actually be detrimental to health and lead to infection, and argued if one staff member was to start wearing a mask, it could increase anxiety among colleagues and residents and create an expectation that all staff should wear masks.

Not only would this be against WHO guidelines, Andy said, but it would also deplete stocks of protective equipment and potentially leave them short if a coronavirus case was ever discovered.

Official WHO guidance on face masks states: “Wearing medical masks when not indicated may cause unnecessary cost, procurement burden and create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices. Furthermore, using a mask incorrectly may hamper its effectiveness to reduce the risk of transmission.”

The body also advises healthy people should only wear a mask if they are taking care of someone with suspected coronavirus.

In a letter addressed to Winnie, Andy said Care for Veterans would continue to monitor WHO and Public Health England guidelines on a daily basis and would adjust its practices accordingly.

The Government has come under fire for its approach to care home testing after a number of outbreaks in homes across the UK.

Official NHS England statistics only register cases and deaths of people treated for coronavirus in hospital – leaving many cases in care homes unreported.

The Office for National Statistics reported that, as of April 3, 217 people had died from coronavirus in care homes in England and Wales.

The Government has said it plans to test all care home staff and residents who exhibit symptoms of the virus.

Care for Veterans is a charity that provides nursing care and rehabilitation to physically disabled ex-service personnel of all ages.