Can you help with Personal Protective Equipment?

An urgent appeal has been issued on behalf of staff at Ealing Hospital.

The volunteer run Ealing Covid-19 Mututal Aid group say:

''Dear Wonderful people of Ealing, Ealing Hospital has again run out of PPE.

They have been given a donation of x100 masks and some boxes of gloves but they are out of the full aprons and goggles. There are 20 face shields being delivered for them hopefully today......fingers crossed!

Please purchase and/or donate the aprons, goggles etc ASAP. Email us at ealingmutualaid@gmail.com (FAO Ewa) or order the aprons to be delivered directly to the hospital where possible and let us know so we can keep tabs on this urgent request. Thank you

Ealing MP Rupa Huq has responded to the appeal, she said:

''It is incredibly concerning that Ealing Hospital is having to put out this appeal. The government PPE hotline for NHS staff is 0800 015 9964 Email: supplydisruptionservice@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

I will raise this in my next conference call with Julian Bell, leader of Ealing council. At the last one on Friday and he said that in Ealing there had been an appeal for PPE for businesses that had yielded success. I was also told that in the borough this can be collected by keyworkers from Greenford depot. When I raised with government minister on Friday morning they said it’s a borough by borough thing.

These are worrying times for our beloved NHS. We know Northwick Park declared an emergency for a day and is our nearest designated coronavirus hospital unlike Ealing has a limited number of covid19  patients too.

Whilst it’s not a time for part political point scoring I do know that aspects of this crisis have been criticised. A locum GP came to my advice surgery when it was running, furious that 111 advice keep changing, they had no PPE and were still subject to QOF assessment. It can be viewed here:

https://twitter.com/RupaHuq/status/1239901415226695680?s=20

Former Health Minister Philip Lee has also alleged that when pandemic planning was scenario modelled in 2016 the issue around PPE was highlighted but obviously not addressed if Ealing hospital and Ealing council are having to go cap in hand to the public in this way. Lessons must be learned and hospital staff must be protected. 

I wish to thank all keyworkers for keeping us going and all that staff are doing in the NHS. I participated in the clapping but do feel a payrise is what’s really needed!

April 7 2020 ( updated)