The HSJ has found that whilst the government are lying to us about the resources in place to treat Covid-19 patients behind the scenes there is panic and desperation.
‘The government has ordered an urgent national audit of personal protective equipment, body bags, swabs and infection control products, HSJ can reveal.
Local resilience forum planners were earlier this week asked to share stock levels and daily consumption rates of the items at ambulance, acute trusts and in primary care and other services by 9pm on Tuesday.
They were asked to indicate whether each figure represented a “major” or “minor” supply problem, or no problem at all, in an email seen by HSJ.
The email added the data collection was “authorised” by Number 10. Yet on Tuesday afternoon — just hours before the audit results were due — a Downing Street spokesperson played down supply issues, telling reporters he had “not seen anything to suggest we don’t have enough [PPE].”
The news comes days after a new national PPE supply channel was announced in response to weeks of major shortages at trusts, GPs and community partners. HSJ revealed on Tuesday that retail logistics firm Clipper would manage the new coronavirus-related channel.
The audit request came from a Ministry of Defence planner at the resilience and emergencies division of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. HSJ has approached the MHCLG for comment.
As well as trusts, resilience forum staff were asked to share stock levels among adult social care services, numbers of mortuary staff, other local authority staff, police, prisons, fire and rescue services and funeral directors.
The email also asked planners if local services had access to PPE supplies above their immediate need and whether local authorities were in discussions with any private PPE suppliers.
The email noted the Department of Health and Social Care wanted to develop a “systematic days of supply picture” for all PPE at all providers.’
They still refuse to answer the questions at their briefings in an honest fashion and constantly evade answers. The public are now seeing through it in swathes and it is doing nothing to reassure those who are paying attention.
Tell us the truth and give us the respect we deserve please.
Penny Lane
