North Wales Member of the Senedd Mark Isherwood has today called for a Welsh Government Statement on the approval and distribution of clear face masks in Wales to help support people who are Deaf or who have hearing loss.
The UK Government recently announced that clear face masks are to be delivered to frontline NHS and social care workers to support better care for people who use lip-reading and facial expressions to communicate.
Taking part in today’s Plenary session of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood questioned the Welsh Government over the allocation of the masks for Wales and how it will ensure ongoing supply to meet demand.
He said:
“Action on Hearing Loss Cymru has highlighted the disproportionate effect on people who are Deaf or have hearing loss of face mask use during the coronavirus pandemic, where inaccessible communication can also present a safety risk. Visual cues, such as facial expression and lip reading, are essential for communication, but Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in health and social care settings is masking these visual cues.
“Now the UK Government has announced the approval and dissemination of a clear mask for use in health and social care settings in the UK, Action on Hearing Loss is seeking clarification from the Welsh Government on: what the allocation of the first clear masks will be for Wales; will the allocation cover both health and social care settings, including care homes; how will applicable third sector organisations, such as themselves, access a supply; and how will the Welsh Government ensure ongoing supply to meet demand? I call for a statement accordingly.”
The Minister for Finance and Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans MS, agreed “it is a very important issue” and said she will “ensure that Action on Hearing Loss does have an answer to their particular questions about how those specially adapted masks will be distributed to ensure that they're distributed to people who most need them and who will most benefit from them.”