NEW: none of the homegrown ventilators - including one by Dyson - have got green light for use in NHS as design spec shifts as docs find more about #COVID19 My latest with @Michael_Pooler @donatopmancini @SebastianEPayne https://www.ft.com/content/e447cab3-8b6b-47ed-bf69-3a43140a42de

The govt actually alerted on advice of shifting specification today here...but says to manufacturers "you should continue to follow the guidance in this document but be aware of changes to follow." - which kind of speaks to this moving target perhaps?/2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-ventilator-supply-specification#history

It seems that initial assessments that much simpler ventilators could be used in early stages of #coronavirus were optimistic, and now have less utility.

Understand there's a big meeting tomorrow with clinical regulator inputs from MHRA to identify possibles /3

The govt strategy is to back multiple possibles as a hedge.

The one 'new' device from the call to industry - made by Penlon in Oxfordshire - is said by Dept of Health to be in "final stages" of clinical trials. /4

Govt is clear there are enough ventilators + as @AlisonPittard dean of Faculty of ICU docs tells me - none are on the wards that aren't clinically OK'd.

And hospitals already have different levels of ventilator - ICU level to small ambulance-level ones. BUT /5

It does seem pretty clear that as the process has worn on, everyone has realised that a) it's not just a numbers game and b) it's a bit more complicated than first thought.

Watch this space... .ENDS