Last week, we reported that Boris Johnson’s Government had revealed that a new logistics system for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to aged care staff would not be available for at least another fortnight – during which time 2,000 aged care residents were forecast to die from COVID-19. This week – the fallout.
Operator taking part in the pilot for the national rollout of the Clipper Logistics system have told The Guardian it is only supplying a fraction of the PPE required.
One provider needing more than 35,000 face masks a week said they had received only 400.
Others said that were sourcing their own supplies said they were treating national supplies as a “last resort” that they could not rely on and had been warned that the distribution system was already struggling with supplies of masks.
The new system is currently only catering for about 1,400 providers, but is supposed to service over 50,000 providers once it is up and running.
“The issue is when it can be ramped up both in terms of the people registered to use it, and ordering the quantities they actually need. Providers have had to look at other avenues – and, in reality, pay a lot more,” Liz Jones, policy director for industry peak, National Care Forum, said.
The Department of Health and Social Care says they are working to ensure that PPE is delivered as quickly as possible to those on the front line and as of 5 May, over 400,000 pieces of PPE have been delivered.
The UK’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports there were 6,391 deaths in aged care homes linked to COVID-19 between 10 April and 1 May – a three-week period, of which 2,044 happened in the week leading up to 1 May.
