Nurses: We’ve no masks nor hand sanitiser
Whistleblowers say carers forced to use their own products
Nurses and carers are having to look after people in Perthshire particularly vulnerable to coronavirus without access to safety gear and in some cases even basic cleaning products, whistleblowers have warned.
One nurse contacted the PA this week saying staff at several care homes including the one she works in have not been provided with vital personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves by their employers, despite the threat the virus presents to both workers and residents becoming clear weeks ago.
Another nurse working in the region that the PA spoke to this week alleged some companies who have claimed they have ample stock and have been sending plenty of PPE to employees since the crisis hit are simply attempting to mask how badly the sector is coping with chronic shortages of kit.
Both nurses, who claimed to speak for teams at several homes, said their own workplaces did not even have any handwash for staff despite the government constantly stressing in the media how important it is for everyone to keep their hands clean to stop the virus spreading.
Worryingly the pair told the PA they could not reveal their identity or where they worked as they feared they could be fired and struck off the register if their respective employers discovered they had been speaking to the media.
Summing up her frustration with the present situation the first nurse told the PA: “We’re not being provided with PPE so we’re putting ourselves at higher risk of catching this virus.
“We’ve no masks … we’ve not even got hand sanitiser. We can’t get any. We have no way of protecting ourselves.
“And if we end up going off sick and taking two weeks off our employers have said they won’t pay us our proper wages. We’re going to get statutory sick pay – that’s all.”
The second nurse told the PA: “We haven’t got any alcohol gel and staff are having to try and source their own and bring it in.
“We’ve been told we need to wear masks when we’re looking after people [but] all we found when we looked for some was one box of masks that were more like tissues.
“They’re telling the public they’re totally prepared and they’ve got this and they’ve got that and it is just a load of rubbish.”
The duo spoke out the same week care leaders including the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland wrote a joint letter to the cabinet secretary for health and sport calling for urgent action to be taken to ensure all health and social workers get the PPE they need to cope with the ongoing crisis.
RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said of the reported shortages across the country this week: “It is completely unacceptable that weeks into this crisis, there are colleagues who still have not been provided with the right PPE.
“That’s why we have joined the Royal College of General Practitioners and Scottish Care in writing to the cabinet secretary calling for urgent action to protect those who are going above and beyond to care for the most sick and vulnerable in our communities at this incredibly difficult time.
“They now need more equipment and fewer excuses. Every minute we wait is a minute too long. All staff, no matter where they work, must feel safe. We will continue to raise this issue until it is resolved.”
The PA asked seven separate companies currently running care homes across Perthshire how confident they were their staff had access to appropriate
PPE but only four responded by our print deadline yesterday.
There is no suggestion the nurses we spoke to this week work for any of the companies who responded to our questions.
A spokesperson for HC-One, which runs Strathtay House in Perth and Catmoor House in Scone as well as The Birches in Crieff, said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our residents and colleagues are our first priorities, and we have a comprehensive coronavirus contingency plan in place, which is led by our clinical