A question about PPE.

[Workingman]

Two ex classmates became neighbours when I was married. One was a RGN and the other a midwife. Staff nurse C travelled in wearing civvies and got changed into uniform with apron and skull cap once at the hospital. L, the midwife, had a day uniform but changed into scrubs once at the birthing suite. As I recall everything was cotton or poly-cotton and was hot washed for reuse and they didn't have their own kit it was drawn from stores as required.

So I am wondering when we got into this single use throw away system and also how do such items get to be out of date, as was claimed early on in the pandemic?

I am asking because there are claims that x thousands of PPE items are now a litter concern. I can understand gloves being single use but why can't aprons, face masks, shields etc be reused? Gloves could be collected in dedicated disposal bins, a bit like sharps and syringes, so should never get to be general waste. These things should be done in all settings from care homes, hospitals, GPs and dentists.

[TheOstrich]

I'll try and remember to ask Master O what goes on in his setting next time he gets in touch.

[cruiser2]

I can remember my mother having to change into nurses uniform when she was working at the local hospital. Never brought her uniform home.

That was in the 1950's and early 1960's.

[medsec222]

I remember much the same Cruiser. There was a large prefabricated hut at the top of the hospital where I worked. It was the nurses changing room. There were showers in there as well so that the nurses could change into their uniforms before entering the hospital. We used to have a control of infection sister who monitored for signs of infection.