More than 100 district nurses in Oldham 'chronically short of PPE'

The Oldham Times has been contacted by the mother of a district nurse in the town whose anonymity we have agreed to safeguard.

In this case, the district nurse concerned has treated at least five patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.

The mother, who we are calling Mrs Smith, said: "District nurses are going into homes with no kit. They are finding coronavirus positive patients which they are dealing with and treating.

"When they ask their supervisor about the availability of kit, they keep being told 'it's on order'.

"They have having to resort to making their own kit or begging it from elsewhere. It's an absolutely appalling."

She said if they are getting visors there is still a shortage of gowns and gloves and paper masks.

And she made a direct appeal to local health chiefs when she said: "Will someone please provide the right kit for our district nurses? They shouldn't be having to put their own lives and the lives of patients they treating in the community at risk by spreading this deadly virus."

She said that one charitable organisation had been approached to help out, but added: "They gave them a box of protein bars and crisps. I know they meant well, but that's not going to do much good."

Mrs Smith went on: "I think part of this is that if you're not rushing round an intensive care unit dealing with patients getting hooked up to ventilators you're not regarded as working on the front line, but this is a serious problem.

"The people in charge are forgetting that we have nurses out on the road doing an equally important job. I also think they are loathe to admit just how insufficient the supply of PPE is."

Paul Wood, regional operational manager for the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) in the North West, said: “It is astonishing that this many weeks into the pandemic, we are in this situation with PPE.

"While it’s difficult to comment on the specifics of this case, as we do not have the full evidence presented to us, it is alarming to hear and something we will follow up with the employer in question to get a full understanding of the issues.

"While nurses have both a contractual and a moral obligation to treat patients, they shouldn’t be putting themselves and their families at risk and their employers should not be putting them on the frontline unprotected.

"It is absolutely unacceptable for health care staff to feel anxious about their working conditions and we urge our members to visit www.rcn.org.uk/covid-19 for advice and support.”

Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group, or Oldham CCG, runs the district nursing service in the town.

Its chief operating officer Mike Barker said: “Our priority is always focused on maintaining the safety of our staff and patients.

"Our teams are working closely with both regional and national colleagues to ensure that we have adequate supplies of PPE, and that we provide the correct equipment to all our staff, in line with the national guidance that has been issued to NHS providers.

"Like many other NHS organisations, we recognise that there are some challenges with the supply of PPE, and our procurement colleagues continue to support our district nursing teams to ensure that they are able to access adequate supplies.

"In Oldham we have set up a PPE distribution hub which can issue emergency suppliers to health and social care services.

"The hub has good stocks of gloves, aprons, masks and eye protection available for services to use. The safety of our staff and patients will always remain our priority and we will ensure that they are fully supported to care for our patients safely.”