Councils urge for immediate ‘clipper' PPE service

Dwindling supplies of vital life-saving personal protective equipment for frontline care workers will run out within days.

The government’s new ‘clipper system intends to provide a central hub for the supply and distribution of PPE but it is yet to be fully operational following a delay in going live. It has since been reported that it could take at least another three weeks before it gets up to speed.

Social care workers and other council service staff continue to risk their lives in keeping essential services going. The Local Government Association has suggested that, based on feedback from councils, local areas could each need access to millions of pieces of PPE, including masks, aprons and gloves each week.

Council leaders argue that shortages of PPE are hampering efforts to combat the coronavirus and is calling for local government to be given an urgent guarantee that emergency supplies will reach them and their partners while they wait for the Clipper service to be fully operational. This includes ensuring that Local Resilience Forums, which are made up of councils and other emergency services, across the country have confirmation about when to expect future drops of emergency supplies.

Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Social care staff and all those working in frontline roles are doing an incredible and dangerous job in challenging circumstances, given the chronic national shortfall of PPE. We must make sure our vital social care workers have all the protection and equipment they need to look after our most elderly and vulnerable.

“Emergency drops have been helpful, but they have been sporadic and inconsistent, with some supplies not always enough to meet local demand. Councils recognise that starting a new supply and distribution system from scratch is a huge undertaking, but we cannot afford any more delays. The government’s online ordering system needs to be fully operational as soon as possible, so that councils and care providers can directly request that critical PPE gets to the frontline where it is desperately needed.”