Clarity needed on stock and supply of personal protective equipment in Wales as "frontline staff fear for their safety"

Wales TUC and BMA Cymru are calling for greater clarity on the stock and supply of personal protective equipment.

In a joint statement they say assurances are needed for all health and social care staff to get the PPE they need.

Together they say they have been contacted by hundreds of frontline workers with concerns about inadequate levels of PPE to enable them to do their jobs safely.

In the statement, they explain cases from frontline workers where “no PPE is provided at all, insufficient or unsafe PPE is given, or PPE has been provided to an employer but withheld from staff.

It also includes examples of staff not able to access adequate changing facilities, workers forced to buy their own PPE, and where staff have become terrified to go to work for fear of making themselves and their families ill.

The statement calls for far more detailed information from the Welsh Government to fully understand their plan to ensure that workers’ health and safety is being adequately considered, and to provide our members with the reassurance they deserve as they continue to serve the public.

On Saturday, the Welsh Government said it was working to ensure people had the right equipment to do their jobs safely.

They unions are also calling for independent inspectorates to ensure that supplies are getting where they need to go.