04/04/2020 - Permalink

Coronavirus: Over 30K items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) now being issued to council key workers

Related topics: Adult social care / Coronavirus / Health / Partner organisations / Safeguarding

Shropshire Council are now distributing over 30,000 items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) equipment to essential frontline workers.

The PPE, which currently includes face masks and gloves, are being issued from yesterday (Friday 3 April 2020) to staff supporting those in the community.

Shropshire Council’s senior health and safety officer Tim Tearle prepares PPE to issue to council key workers.

Shropshire Council’s senior health and safety officer Tim Tearle prepares PPE to issue to council key workers.

On Friday 3 April the Government published further revised guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for health and social care workers. It supersedes previous PPE guidance. The main changes include:

  • Enhanced PPE recommendations for a wide range of health and social care contexts
  • Inclusion of individual and organisational risk assessment at local level to inform PPE use
  • Recommendation of single sessional (extended) use of some PPE items
  • Reusable PPE can be used. Advice on suitable decontamination arrangements should be obtained from the manufacturer, supplier or local infection control
  • Guidance for when case status is unknown and SARS-CoV-2 is circulating at high levels
  • Recommendation on patients’ use of facemasks.

Andy Begley and Karen Bradshaw, Shropshire Council’s acting interim chief executives, said:

“We are really pleased that we are now receiving PPE, and are now immediately deploying all equipment to our essential frontline staff.

“This has been a national issue, which we had continually raised nationally through the various groups we work with and represent, and we have chased companies and contacts – we have even had this issue communicated through our MPs to the Government.

“Our key priority now is to ensure our social care staff are equipped with the right PPE to not only help protect themselves but those most vulnerable residents they support.

“We anticipate more PPE coming in over the next few weeks.”

Further information 

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