Desperate GPs say they are resorting to shopping at Bunnings to buy face masks to guard against coronavirus because too few government supplies are getting to clinics and traditional stockists have sold out.

Key points: The Government has released masks from a national stockpile, but GPs say they're having trouble accessing them

The Government has released masks from a national stockpile, but GPs say they're having trouble accessing them Some GPs have complained "official" information has been confusing, and they're turning to social media instead

Some GPs have complained "official" information has been confusing, and they're turning to social media instead The Health Minister says GPs and other health workers will be included in a forum tomorrow

Doctors are also relying on Twitter and Facebook to stay informed about the outbreak because, they say, official government communication is inconsistent and unclear.

The risks to frontline health workers have been highlighted after 40 staff from Sydney's Ryde Hospital were ordered into home quarantine because they had interacted with a doctor later diagnosed with coronavirus.

Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) president Harry Nespolon said the incident "underlines the fragility of the healthcare system".

"If we were to take 40 people out of every hospital, that's a large amount of healthcare workers that won't be available to take care of patients," he said.

"And there just isn't another 40 people just sitting around there waiting to take their place."

But he said GPs were not getting enough support, including equipment such as masks and gowns, to deal with an expected rush of patients and help under-pressure hospitals.

"I've certainly heard of GPs going to Bunnings to try and buy masks," Dr Nespolon said.

"We would rather that healthcare facilities had healthcare-standard masks and that we don't have to resort to workarounds.

"It just underlines the importance of the Government supplying the masks and other personal protection equipment, not only to general practitioners but also, for example, aged care facilities."

In late January, the Government authorised the release of a million masks from the national medical stockpile, to be distributed to doctors and health workers via local primary health networks.

But several GPs have told the ABC it has still been very difficult to get the masks. Suppliers are sold out, and masks from the national stockpile are too slow to find their way to clinics.

A need to get creative

Melbourne GP Vyom Sharma said some GPs were essentially "rationing" the use of masks to avoid running out before an influx of coronavirus cases.

"Getting our hands on masks has been tricky, to say the least," Dr Sharma said.

After multiple calls to the local Primary Health Network — which coordinates health services and distributes masks from the national stockpile — the clinic received only 40 masks to share between seven doctors.

"Just for one patient, we might have to go through four masks, and we've only got about 50 in our reserve," he said.

"So we realised very early on that we'd have to source our own masks, so they are currently on back order from our online suppliers."

For Dr Sharma, Twitter has been the most reliable source of timely information about the virus. ( ABC News: Patrick Stone )

Masks had already been in short supply after months of bushfires sent smoke billowing into Australian towns and cities, including the eastern seaboard capitals. Many stores remain sold out.

"I called up Bunnings yesterday and they said they had 20 left, but that was in the morning — when I called them in the afternoon they said they couldn't guarantee that," he said.

"I know other GPs who are using other hardware stores as well, and someone said they had got a face shield for gardening that had P2 filters in it — so we've had to get creative."

'Lots of crazy stories'

GPs are being advised to use two types of masks when seeing suspected coronavirus patients.

Under Department of Health guidelines, a person suspected of having the virus should be given a surgical mask to wear when they see a doctor.

When GPs are treating patients with severe pneumonia-like symptoms, the doctors are advised to wear P2/N95 respirator masks.

Sydney GP Charlotte Hespe, who chairs the RACGP in New South Wales and the ACT, said there were "lots of crazy stories about what practices are doing" to source masks.

"In Sydney, we've been slightly fortunate in that we all got a small supply of masks with the bushfires because of the smoke," Dr Hespe said.

"But having said that, no-one has been able to access quantities of what would be deemed to be the sort of kit that you need if we're going to start having clinics where we are seeing people with COVID-19."

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the masks released by the Government were being made available through Primary Health Networks.

"If there are any GP practices that are having any issues, they should contact the Department of Health, or first port of call will be their Primary Health Network," he said.

A statement from his office says a forum on Friday, which will include GPs and other health workers, will "discuss additional proposed approaches and guidance for GPs and others in the sector".

"This will include approaches to accessing PPE (personal protective equipment) and other necessary supplies commercially or through the National Medical Stockpile," the statement says.

GPs turn to Twitter, Facebook

The RACGP says the supplies issue is part of a bigger issue, and that GPs are being excluded from the federal authorities' plans for the pandemic.

"It is a real shame that there's been a real lack of leadership, of saying, 'OK, we need the GPs to do this,'" Dr Hespe said.

Doctors are being advised to use P2/N95 masks (left) and general surgical masks (right) when dealing with some patients. ( ABC News: Patrick Stone )

Dr Nespolon said GPs were "feeling left out at the moment", but he had been told the Government would have a plan put together "towards the end of next week".

"But there is no clear advice about exactly what the role of general practice will be during a pandemic phase," Dr Nespolon said.

Information to GPs from multiple government sources had been inconsistent and confusing, he said.

"In Australia, we would have essentially 10 different sources of information, giving us 10 different ways to approach a patient.

"What we've been calling on for some time now is that there be a central repository for this information, and that information comes out once, and it comes out consistently across the whole of Australia."

Dr Sharma said important messages weren't always getting through to doctors.

"So, really, the most reliable form of information for me has been things like Twitter," he said.

Several GPs also told the ABC they are using private Facebook groups to help each other interpret the latest advice from government agencies.

"You'd think that any and all developments in the coronavirus case should be notifications that are pushed to GPs, whereas we're really having to do a lot of trawling," Dr Sharma said.