Not enough PPE 'reaching West Midlands care and nursing home workers'

The lack of supply has become "the number one priority" across the West Midlands, as Birmingham City Council said it received 40% of its order on Monday.

The local authority, the largest in England, said it had been approaching firms, including nail bars, in a bid to supplement supplies.

Last week, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street put a call out to local businesses to help with much-needed PPE, with 35 of the firms who responded expressing a formal desire to give aid.

Deborah Cadman, from the region's strategic coordination group (SCG) made up of local authorities, health officials and police, said getting enough PPE equipment had become the leading priority in the region.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, during a weekly regional video conference call, she said: "The first priority is the supply of PPE (personal protective equipment) and is still an issue that escalated up into red.

"That's because of the availability not just for the NHS but for key critical workers across the region, particularly adult social care and those workers that work in domiciliary care and care homes.

"There is an e-commerce platform developed, it's up and running centrally, but it's not delivering yet."

She added the lack of supply had been "the main issue" discussed at a meeting held earlier on Thursday, between Government officials and the SCG.

"I think that the Government have a very clear view from the region that this is the number one priority that needs to be resolved," she said.

Also on the call, Cllr Paulette Hamilton, Birmingham City Council cabinet member for adult and social care, said PPE supply "continues to remain an issue".

She added: "In Birmingham, out of the supply we should have had on Monday, we only got 40%.

"So it means we're constantly looking at catch-up in this area."

She said: "The 40% was for across the care sector that Birmingham City Council ordered for the city, but we only received 40% from the Government.

"We've not just been relying on what the Government can provide so we've been asking local businesses across the region, if they could support us in any way and the NHS have been really helpful in the last two weeks to help support us to ensure that we've got enough stock.

"We've also been going to local businesses, like nail shops and what have you, if they've got any spare equipment, getting that from them.

"But I am absolutely clear that this week, if we asked for, say 100, we only got 40."

It comes as the Birmingham Nightingale Hospital at the NEC convention centre becomes fully operational and ready to take patients from Friday.

Other measures to cope with Covid-19 across the region have included boosting mortuary capacity to deal with any increase in deaths.

Ms Cadman said it was now thought capacity would be "sufficient" with a temporary mortuary at Birmingham Airport, near the NEC, which could be expanded to take 2,500 bodies if needed.

She added there was also a storage facility at the Nightingale hospital as well a "500-space facility" identified by the city council.