Providers' group issues warning over PPE supplies
Derren Hayes
Friday, April 24, 2020
Some of the largest providers of independent children’s homes and fostering services in England have warned that they are still struggling to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and carers looking after vulnerable young people.
Despite government efforts to boost supplies of PPE in response to the Covid-19 pandemic – including an 84-tonne consignment of goods from Turkey earlier in the week – a coalition of independent care and specialist education providers has told CYP Now that PPE supplies are inconsistent and insufficient.
In a statement, the Children’s Services Development Group (CSDG), whose members include Core Assets Group, Compass Community, Outcomes First Group, SENAD Group and Witherslack Group, said while it welcomed the government’s commitment on PPE, it remained “particularly concerned about access to PPE”.
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“CSDG members care for some of the most vulnerable children and young people with highly complex needs and it is crucial we are able to do all we can to protect them from the virus,” the statement said.
“Our members have been liaising with all relevant bodies about PPE, including Local Resilience Forums and designated wholesalers. We have been able to secure some PPE but this access has not been consistent and deliveries often have not included the volume of items expected.
“It is fully appreciated that supplies must be distributed where they are most critically needed, however children’s social care providers also urgently need access to a consistent PPE supply. It is essential the sector is not pushed down the government’s priority list.”
The group’s concerns mirror those raised by members of the Independent Children’s Homes Association earlier in the month. All 150 homes spoken to by the ICHA said they had not received PPE and that staff were extremely anxious about caring for children diagnosed with the virus.
A report published by the association this week highlighted a number of residential child care settings that had experienced outbreaks of Covid-19 among children and staff. Some homes report staff needing to self-isolate while others have had employees with severe symptoms.
Despite the outbreaks, ICHA chief executive Peter Sandiford said supplies of PPE had improved in the past week with fewer residential child care providers reporting concerns.
In light of difficulties obtaining PPE through government-recommended routes, many children’s home providers have sourced it themselves.
The chief executive of a provider that runs a home in Shropshire said suppliers recommended by the NHS and local authorities were unable to help due to demand outstripping supply so “we sourced our own PPE”.
“The main items have been sanitizer, gloves, aprons and masks and we have stock to see us through including if we end up managing infection,” he said.
“Basically this was about several of us on the management team all trying to secure whatever PPE we could from various suppliers in the UK and overseas, different items and volumes from different places.
“Santizer was the hardest to track down and we have got that in dribs and drabs but always had a small stock in reserve. We had everything we needed in place within 10 days of the situation needing managing – we were very proactive and I worked full time on this for at least a week.”
In addition, the provider sourced extra temperature testing kits so that staff could receive daily temperature checking when coming on shift. This helped reassure staff, said the children’s home boss.
“The main issue has been managing staff anxiety in the vacuum created by central government podium announcements that were just not followed through with any real planning or discussion on the ground,” he said.
“We were just able to be much more nimble and responsive and sort ourselves out to respond to our staff and children and then share this on our own networks.”
