Podcast: Care homes struggle with free PPE restrictions reveals manager who caught COVID-19

A care home manager, who caught COVID-19, says care homes are struggling to get enough free PPE each day because of limits placed by the government, in a podcast recorded just days before England’s national lockdown began.

In Episode 14 of the podcast ‘Let’s Talk About Care’, Mark Topps, who is the care home manager of Little Wakering House situated in an Essex village near Southend-on-Sea, says free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) cannot be relied on.

While the government promised free PPE to care homes until March next year, carehome.co.uk has seen evidence that care home managers are not able to get enough free PPE via the government’s online portal.

“There is concern about PPE. When we log on to the portal it only allows you to order a set amount per week" says Mark Topps.

"There’s delays in those deliveries so you don’t get them on time. There’s no way you’d be able to rely on that free PPE”.

The online portal only allows his care home to order a maximum of nine boxes of a particular PPE product (e.g. gloves), before a message appears on screen stating that he has reached his quota. Mr Topps has repeatedly been met with the message when he tries to order PPE.

A message, on 30 October, seen by carehome.co.uk stated: 'We're sorry but you have reached your limit of "Gloves". If you wish to add this item to your cart, please remove some of your "Gloves" orders and try again with a smaller volume'.

“I’m only a 13-bed service and we go through probably two, three, four boxes of gloves a day. And that’s without looking at anybody that is positive with coronavirus and I think you’d use double that if you were because you’d be changing your gloves a hell of a lot more.”

Care homes' inability to order enough free PPE is forcing some care home managers to source extra PPE elsewhere and face a “ridiculous” mark up in the price of gloves, masks, face shields, aprons, shoe covers, etc.

While a box of 100 gloves used to cost £10, they now cost £25-30.

“The government should be stepping in saying these companies cannot make these humungous profits off the back of a virus".

Mr Topps recently tested positive for COVID-19 along with another member of staff after a weekly test. The care home is now clear of the virus but Mr Topps says he was shocked that neither he nor his staff member had any symptoms. He believes this “highlights” the need for getting sufficient free PPE.

DHSC 'order limits for different types and sizes of provider'

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said: "We survey all registered care homes and the vast majority have confirmed they have enough PPE and those that need more can quickly order it from our dedicated portal".

In a statement, the DHSC added: 'The PPE Portal can be used by eligible health and social care providers to order PPE in order to meet the increased need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, free of charge. This is PPE that providers are using over and above business-as-usual use, due to COVID-19 infection control guidance or otherwise, rather than what would have been used pre-pandemic.

'For business-as-usual and non-clinical grade PPE needs all providers should continue accessing their normal supply routes. The portal meets 100% of modelled demand for Adult Residential Care providers and order limits are formed according to type and size of provider.

'The Department keeps order limits under review'. The latest guidance on order limits for the different types and sizes of provider is available here.

The DHSC stated care home managers 'struggling with ordering' should contact the PPE Portal customer service line on 0800 876 6802.

The care home, run by Eastern County Care, supports people with learning disabilities, many of whom were looking forward to leaving the care home to visit their parents and loved ones at Christmas. Mr Topps says: “I wish I had the answers for our residents of when they could go home. I think Christmas is going to be incredibly hard this year".

Putting masks on Minions to show resident they are not 'scary'

Also in the podcast, the care home manager talks about explaining to residents with learning disabilities why mask wearing was necessary not "scary" - and how in one instance he demonstrated this by putting masks on toy Minions belonging to a resident.

His care home, like others, are facing ongoing challenges brought about by government decisions. In October, the DHSC wrote to all local authorities in England asking them to identify care homes to take COVID-19 hospital patients.

The deadline for every local authority to have access to at least one CQC designated accommodation was 31 October.

’I’ve had emails offering more money’ to take COVID patients

He describes the government’s decision to move hospital patients who are COVID-19 positive into designated care homes as “barbaric”.

“I’ve had emails offering more money to take on somebody that is positive”.

Mr Topps has been challenging injustices in the care sector ever since he turned whistle blower, calling out abuse he witnessed by a care provider. He says that early experience shaped his campaigning spirit to challenge the status quo with COVID-19 sparking a new battle for care home resources.

His care home only began getting weekly tests six weeks ago, because the government initially prioritised weekly testing for care homes caring predominantly for people aged 65+.

Mark Topps is now “worried” Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors plan to visit around 500 care homes over the next six weeks even though the DHSC has denied them weekly tests.

The DHSC has stated: 'DHSC have considered the matter carefully and have assessed that CQC inspectors do not meet the criteria for regular weekly asymptomatic testing, as they are not required to be within 1m of residents to carry out their role'.

In the podcast episode, Mr Topps said of Care Minister Helen Whately “Nobody right now would want her job”.

“On Twitter and social media I have called her out numerous times but I don’t think it helps that she’s obviously not supported higher up with the appropriate guidance.

“Definitely in the early days she was probably their scapegoat for giving all the bad news and not being given the appropriate information. I think that was apparent on interviews she was doing, she just didn’t have the answers.

“[Matt Hancock] is also the Health Secretary for social care and I quite often feel like he doesn’t ever remember that’s part of his job.

"Both of them Helen and Matt could both be contacting providers to get that feedback. Have some kind of collaboration to look at the guidance they’re putting in and making sure that it’s fit for purpose”.

Mr Topps says care work requires “keeping them safe" and "it’s so much more than “wiping somebody’s bum”. “We’ve worked the frontline since day dot. Boris and his team I think they still view care workers as ‘unskilled’, “unprofessional”.

Networking with care home managers helped Mr Topps early in the pandemic, when he had to live apart from his wife and children to keep his residents safe. Mr Topps admits he had never struggled with his mental health but time apart from his own family was a “struggle”.

He urges all care home managers to support and learn from each other during the pandemic via networks such as the Facebook groups: ‘UK Care Home Managers’ Inner Circle’, ‘Skills for Care Managers Network’ and the ‘Outstanding Manager Online Network’ group.

To listen to more episodes of the Let's Talk About Care podcast click here