Coronavirus: Welsh NHS was 'within days' of running out of PPE

Vaughan Gething warned "our supply chains could become stressed" again

The Welsh NHS came "within days" of running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus outbreak, the health minister has said.

Vaughan Gething said Wales was now in "a much better" position with "months rather than days" of supplies.

But he said issues still remained over the provision of eye protectors.

Mr Gething told a Senedd committee that during March and April Welsh Government concerns about PPE were his "biggest anxiety".

• PPE supplies 'stable but fragile

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Giving evidence to the health committee, he said that the Welsh Government had been able to establish better supply lines and buy equipment in "large amount".

The minister said that Welsh businesses, who had played a part in making some essential equipment, would continue to manufacture fluid repellent gowns.

However he warned "we're still going to be in a position where we're buying lots of this [PPE] from other parts of the world".

"And that in itself creates an element of uncertainty that if we did see a further upswing in coronavirus, there might again be even more competition in that market," he said.

"It's possible that our supply chains could become stressed."

Since the start of March, more than 126 million pieces of PPE have been used in Wales, the Welsh Government says

On Monday, the deputy minister in charge of PPE supplies said stocks for nurses and doctors were "stable but fragile".

Lee Waters said there was "enough for the next three months", but warned against taking "our eye off the ball".

How long will we have field hospitals?

Speaking to the committee, Mr Gething also said he expected Wales' 19 field hospitals to "survive for some time".

"We are absolutely not going to see them decommissioned at the end of the summer," he said.

Mr Gething said it was possible there might be another peak of the virus in the winter and closing the field hospitals would be an unnecessary risk.

"It's about how we make use of them, and what role they have to play in restarting health and social care," he added.

"But field hospitals aren't environments for all activities to take place. They are different sort of environments, it's about the recovery and rehabilitation and also some of the end-of-life care that might take place."

Wales' field hospitals, which have added about 6,000 extra beds, cost £166m to set up. A review of them is due later this month.