More than 20 healthcare organisations are calling for stricter UK guidelines to be introduced on face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

The organisations, including representatives of the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, say that existing rules leave them vulnerable to infection through the air, especially by new variants of coronavirus.

It is thought to be the first time health and care organisations have united on a single issue in this way.

There has been an estimated 1,000 health and care workers killed by coronavirus in the UK, prompting staff to argue for the risks of airborne transmission to be recognised in hospitals and other care settings.

Current government guidance is that health workers do not have to wear what are called N95 respirators - widely judged to be more effective than the standard-issue surgical masks mandated in the UK. Currently, only certain procedures considered likely to generate aerosols entitle staff to a high standard of mask known as an FFP3.

At least 17 hospital and ambulance trusts have already decided to break with official guidance by equipping their staff with FFP3 masks, but the majority have not.

Recently updated guidance issued by Public Health England allows staff to perform their own risk assessment to decide on PPE.