Blackpool care home manager and hospital governor says PPE management hasn't been quick enough

Lisa Robins, who is also the Public NHS Governor for Blackpool Victoria Hospital, manages Pennystone Court care home on Handsworth Road and said the Covid-19 pandemic has been ‘challenging’.

Lisa, who has worked in the health and social sector for more than 20 years, criticised the Government’s response in protecting staff and residents from Covid-19

She said: “PPE is an absolutely urgent matter which isn’t being addressed quickly enough in my view. It’s imperative to keep my staff safe and the main way to achieve this is by providing them enough PPE as a minimum requirement.

“It needs to be done quicker and faster. Protection in social care shouldn’t be an afterthought, it should be a given. We need to protect staff and residents.”

Pennystone Court is run by care home charity MHA and Lisa said they have acquired stocks of PPE but added ‘it’s a constant effort to ensure we have enough.’

Lisa also said she is ‘saddened’ that the numbers of deaths in care homes are not added to the Government’s daily figures out of respect for the ‘elderly people care homes are managing the health and wellbeing of.’

She said: “I think that understandably it has been extremely difficult to have figures on a daily basis but I strongly feel they should be announced weekly to signify deaths in care homes as a dignified perspective.”

She also praised her staff for how they have managed the pandemic and said social care workers are ‘the unsung heroes of our communities’.

Lisa added: “There are no words to explain to someone who is not in this situation day in and day out.

“None of us could imagine any of this happening in our lives and I have always called my staff the A-team but I wouldn’t want anyone other people at time like this.

“They are working full-time and it’s extremely humbling. I have never felt as much pride as I do now and they never ever stop working for our residents.

“All the social care workers across the country are going into high risk areas numerous times a day and on a daily basis.

“They don’t earn £100,000 a year but they do their job with care, compassion and love. I really do hope there will be a change in attitude towards care assistant roles in general after this crisis is over.

Residents are also keeping in touch with relatives thanks to the care home’s special computer room.

Lisa said: “The residents spirits are high but they are missing their families. We are doing our best so they aren’t isolated away from each other.

“A lot of them are making regular Skype calls in our IT room which has large screens for residents to keep connected with relatives and be able to see them clearly.

“The truth is our residents are our loved ones.

Lisa’s comments come as the Government published an action plan yesterday to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Better access to testing, millions of additional PPE items, expansions to the workforce and a new brand to further recognise the sector’s contribution to society are at the heart of a new action plan to support the social care sector through the coronavirus outbreak.

“The Government has committed to ensuring that all care workers who need a test receive one, and all symptomatic residents in a care home will be tested to prevent outbreaks. Over 4,000 social care workers have already been referred for testing so far.”

The Government’s plan states that everyone going into a care home from hospital will be tested with immediate effect. Currently only the first five residents with symptoms are tested to provide confirmation of whether there is an outbreak.

The Department For Health also said the way PPE is being delivered to care homes is going to be ‘rapidly overhauled, with homes supported to order PPE quickly, including through direct dispatches via Royal Mail, a 24/7 hotline and a new pilot website.’

Lisa told The Gazette that Blackpool Council had contacted the care home yesterday and said testing will commence for all staff who are symptomatic.

She said: “It’s great because if a staff member is stuck at home showing symptoms but doesn’t actually have coronavirus then they can return to work, so it’s good this can be in place. The local authorities have been very supportive and have contacted us every day. ”

Sam Monaghan, MHA’s CEO, said the charity cannot remain in a position “where we are having to procure kit from the private market at heavily inflated prices because the Government supply is insufficient”

He added: “We just need adequate and consistent supplies.

“At a very local level, we are chasing PPE at every single site we are working in, and of course you can’t spend £200,000 each month just on face masks, it’s just not a sustainable situation.”