There is a growing concern that standard personal protective equipment (PPE), which often has a unisex design, does not always be fit for women properly.
PPE is essential for protecting frontline workers who are exposed to coronavirus.
The Department of Health (DoH) said that the kit is designed to protect “both gendres”.
However, healthcare workers are saying that even the smaller sizes are often too big for some women – who make up 77% of the National Health Service (NHS) workforce, according to NHS Digital figures from 2018.
If it is too big it can be less effective in providing a complete barrier to the virus.
In a statement the DoH said: “Some products are available in different sizes to enable it to fit both small and large frames”.
However, the Royal College of Nurses described “one-size-fits-all” PPE as “problematic and restrictive” when it can be worn for up to 12 hours during shifts.
Some female NHS workers have taken to social media to share photos of themselves wearing badly fitting PPE.
