Social care providers were left exposed by a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) because of the Government’s decision to prioritise hospitals at the beginning of the pandemic, a report by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee says.
It meant staff had to care for people with, or suspected of having, COVID-19, without sufficient equipment to protect them from infection.
MPs on the committee heard evidence from organisations representing frontline workers that stocks were close to running out, single use items were reused and some was not fit for purpose, including reports of expired, substandard and deficient supplies.
An earlier National Audit Office report about PPE supplies during the pandemic also found that adult social care providers said they were not adequately supported by Government in procuring PPE and were very close to running out.
There were also huge increases in the price paid for PPE compared with 2019, because of the global surge in demand and restrictions on exports in some countries. The NAO said had the Government been able to buy PPE at 2019 prices, the cost to July 2020 would have been £2.5 billion, £10 billion less than it actually paid.
Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Social care staff have been doing an incredible job in extremely challenging circumstances throughout this crisis.
“Many struggled to access the PPE they needed at times at the beginning of the pandemic. It is good that we now have a central stockpile and dedicated supply, alongside a government commitment to fund coronavirus-related PPE to the end of June 2021.
“Social care deserves parity of esteem with the NHS, including on future PPE supply and infection control measures. Frontline health and care workers should receive all the appropriate protective equipment they need.”