Coronavirus: PM promises PPE for all care workers 'by the end of this week'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised personal protective equipment (PPE) will arrive for every care worker in Britain's care homes by the end of this week.

Boris Johnson made the game-changing promise of more masks, gloves, aprons and other PPE equipment in parliament during PMQs on 25 March.

He was responding to a question from Peter Kyle, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade about a lack of PPE and testing for care workers.

Peter Kyle said: “I would like to draw attention to the fact that the Oaklands Care Home in my constituency has had a really difficult time lately.

“A 94-year-old resident developed the symptoms of coronavirus and requested a test. Ten days later when the test finally happened, 14 of the 20 residents were exhibiting symptoms".

He added: “None of the protective equipment had arrived".

PM: 'By the end of this week'

Mr Kyle asked: “Can the Prime Minister tell the House and the 80,000 care homes around Britain, what date they will expect tests to be carried out on the day that symptoms emerge and every single person working in those care homes will get the protective equipment they need?”

Mr Johnson said: “On the tests, the answer is we want to roll that out as soon as we possibly can and the personal protective equipment, the answer is by the end of this week.”

Speaking during his last appearance as Labour leader at PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn asked the PM: “We can only protect the health of us all if we protect the health of our carers.

“The charity Sue Ryder who provide care to people with neurological conditions have said that their workforce is depleting daily as they have no access to tests.

"When will all the social care staff have access to regular testing?”

Boris Johnson replied: “Social care staff in common with NHS staff and indeed other public sector workers need to be tested as fast as possible and the answer to his question is that we will do it as fast as possible.

“We are massively increasing our testing campaign going up …to 25,000 a day.”

Care England: 'Significantly bigger quantities' of PPE needed

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents care homes, has said the industry needed “significantly bigger quantities” of masks, gloves and hand sanitisers than those currently available.

"It is vital that all care services receive enough PPE to protect residents and staff.

“As well as PPE there is also a need for testing so that services will know who has the virus and can support them appropriately.”

Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum said: "We are hugely concerned about care homes’ ability to access sufficient personal protective equipment.

“This concern has been exacerbated by lengthy delays in sourcing supplies.

“The recent announcement of a free issue of PPE to the care home sector was undermined by lengthy delays, with some providers only just receiving the stock a full 12 days after the announcement, and the free issue only covering face masks, which are just one component of the required PPE for supporting people with COVID-19.”

Agency staff working in multiple care homes

Concerns were also raised during PMQs about the issue of some care homes using agency staff who are also been working in other care homes.

While raising the case of a care home in his constituency, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade said: “Seven of the staff were off sick so that they could self-isolate, they were agency staff who had also been working in other care homes.”

Care workers 'collateral damage'

The chair of Care Forum Wales, which represents almost 500 care providers, has warned more people reliant on care will die because they are being treated like “collateral damage” in the war against the coronavirus.

Mario Kreft, the chair of Care Forum Wales criticised the sporadic availability of personal protective equipment and the absence of swabs to screen care workers for the virus.

Mario Kreft said: “Care homes feel they have been abandoned because not enough has been done to shield the most vulnerable people in society, including older people and younger people with disabilities.

“Care homes, the people who live in them and the wonderful staff who provide the care are effectively being treated as collateral damage.

“Care homes are also desperate for volunteers to come and help because the sector is already losing staff because a number of them will also be affected by the virus."

Care workers barred from priority shopping

Unlike NHS workers, many supermarkets are still failing to recognise care workers when it comes to priority shopping. This is despite the fact they are on the frontline caring for people who may be displaying coronavirus symptoms.

Many supermarkets are asking for NHS ID which care workers do not have.

During PMQs, Mr Corbyn told the PM: “There are reports that care homes’ workers are being turned away from supermarkets in relation to priority shopping.

“Not being able to buy certain items that they desperately need to feed their residents.

"What is the Prime Ministers’ plan to ensure care workers can get the vital food and supplies they need for the people that they’re caring for?”

The Prime Minister said he had been in regular contact with supermarkets about key workers getting time to shop and replied: “If there is a particular problem I will raise it with them again”.

Clap for care workers

The National Care Association has tweeted (@NCFCareForum): 'Let's get some momentum going for social care workers.

'NHS workers are doing amazing work and being recognised for it. Social care workers are doing amazing work and are not. Let's change that.'

The National Care Association has launched a petition asking the government to the government to 'support social care: financially, publicly and systematically on an equal par as NHS' .

It wants parliament to debate how to support social care 'during COVID-19 and beyond' so that it has the same access to operational and financial support. The petition has almost the 10,000 signatures needed for a parliamentary debate.

To sign the petition click here

Meanwhile, the public is being encouraged at 8pm today to clap for NHS and care workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.