The HSE is not offering nurses high-grade FFP2 masks as standard, even though there is no issue with supply, according to the INMO.

Nursing unions met with the health service yesterday to demand high-quality PPE ahead of an expected surge in patients due to Omicron.

On The Pat Kenny Show, INMO Industrial Relations Director Tony Fitzpatrick said they were told the high-quality masks would only be offered to workers who specifically requested them.

“Our members are heading in to the fifth wave of COVID-19,” he said. “This is their second COVID Christmas and they want to be sure they are properly protected.

“It is clearly evident from all the science that COVID-19 is an airborne virus. FFP2 masks offer better protection. We have members dealing with an increase in COVID-19 cases. They are working in an environment where they are dealing with patients that have COVID-19 or potentially have COVID-19 and therefore they should have the highest-standard masks avail provided to them.

“The incredible thing the HSE said to us yesterday is, there is no issue with supply. They said we have FFP2, but we don’t believe it is necessary. That was their line with regards to it.”

He said the masks should be standard across the board in the health service.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the ventilation systems in many hospitals are also not up to standard.

“We know that their infrastructure is poor in many hospitals bar those built in the last five years,” he said. “Their ventilation system isn’t as good as it should be – in fact, it is deplorable in some locations.

“We raised then, are they using air filtration and air purifiers - because we know the Department of Education is rolling it out to the classroom – but the HSE don’t believe in the necessity of air filtration and they are going to roll out a pilot in one particular hospital see how effective it is.”

Me Fitzpatrick said the health service needs to layer levels of protection for staff to keep the health service running through January.

“The mask is one step, the booster is another obviously and filtration and ventilation are vitally important as well with regard to Omicron and COVID-19,” he said.

“Whatever measures are necessary should be taken in order to protect the staff because the concern is we will be back to last January where we could have 5,000 out sick with COVID-19 and that depletes the service at a time when we need it most.”

He said nurses are “completely exhausted” and very worried about the coming weeks.

“They are physically and mentally burned out,” he said. “The Health service was in a troubling place at the beginning of this and it didn’t have the infrastructure, it didn’t have the capacity, it didn’t have the resources and then you throw in COVID-19 and a global pandemic.

“So, they are genuinely fearful for the next six to ten weeks.”