Oldham's science lesson goggles used to bolster PPE stock

Goggles used in college science lessons have been donated to top up a council’s stock of personal protective equipment, it’s been revealed.

Health chiefs in Oldham say colleges and businesses have made ‘generous donations’ of supplies that are crucial in protecting frontline health and care workers from coronavirus.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) comprises of items such as masks, gloves and goggles which can stop the Covid-19 virus spreading between people via moisture droplets.

Scores of nurses, doctors and carers have complained in recent weeks that they have not been equipped with the correct protective clothing when treating or providing care to coronavirus patients.

This week Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries admitted that distribution had been ‘tricky at times’.

And in his weekly briefing, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said there are still ‘major concerns’ over issues with testing and PPE for frontline medical staff, with not enough for hospitals, care homes or GPs.

Oldham’s director of public health, Katrina Stephens confirmed the borough has received a delivery of PPE supplies but are also accepting alternatives to bolster its stock.

“We’ve had some generous donations from businesses and colleges of things like goggles that would usually be used in things like science lessons for instance,” she said.

“We’re exploiting all avenues to make sure that we’ve got some stock available if any providers do run out.

“It’s a precious resource, we want to make sure that it’s used appropriately.”

Chief executive Carolyn Wilkins said that PPE has been a ‘real challenge’. 

But she added: “We did get supplies through on Sunday so staff mobilised to collect those and get them distributed, particularly to care home settings and other frontline areas.”

Ms Stephens added: “What we’ve been trying to do with that stock really is create an emergency supply hub that we can use where there are parts of the system that appear to be running out or struggling to get their own supplies, whether that’s care homes or district nurses.

“We are encouraging all providers however to follow those national routes for getting supplies in the first instance so that we can keep that supply as back up.

“But we’re exploring a number of routes to really bolster that emergency supply, so we’ve got deliveries coming through from Greater Manchester, we are going through some of our own procurement routes to buy additional stock as well.”

If you are providing direct care to someone who has symptoms of coronavirus or has tested positive ‘you need some form of PPE’, Ms Stephens confirmed.

But she emphasised that for many, the best way to prevent the spread of the virus was ‘routine infection control measures’, including hand washing, disinfecting surfaces and maintaining the two metre social distancing guidelines. 

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