It turns out that a lot of folk don’t really understand why people who employ Personal Assistants (to help with their personal and social care support), and unpaid carers who care for family members need urgent help to access PPE. Let me try and break this down (as best I can!) https://twitter.com/BBCGaryR/status/1252482050529034240

1. Before covid-19, ‘most’ folk who employ a PA or who provide unpaid care for a family member purchased their own PPE as it was easier to do this rather than battling with your health and social care partnership to provide these.

2. Ideally, those who have a social care plan in place should have been allocated the funds (via self directed support) to purchase these essential items, but practice and policy varies across different local authorities.

3. Before covid-19, it was relatively easy to purchase most of the PPE that we needed from online suppliers and shops. But all our usual suppliers have now run out of the PPE items which no one had previously deemed essential.

4. As an example, we regularly purchase medical grade disposable gloves. I used to pay around £4-£5 per box. Last week I paid £14 for the same box of gloves, not to mention the stress of scouring the internet to source these gloves.

5. So, to those saying that it is the responsibility of PA employers and unpaid carers to purchase their own PPE. I agree, because normally that’s what we would do. But these aren’t ‘normal’ times. Our supplies have been depleted, and we're paying over the odds now.

6. Without access to the right PPE, PAs are unable to safely provide care, and many people with care support needs will be unable to keep their PAs safe. Unpaid carers will also put themselves at risk of infection without the right PPE in place.

7. Health and social care partnerships have a duty of care, and this extends to everyone who is deemed to have a support need. They have a responsibility to ensure that people who have social care needs and their carers have the resources and support to deliver that care safely.

8. At the moment, delivery of PPE to those who employ PAs or provide unpaid care varies significantly across each local authority. The reasons for some of the delays are apparently due to local authorities awaiting ‘further guidance’ from Scottish Government.

9. Whether the delay in getting PPE to PA employers and unpaid carers is due to supply, cost, logistics, or lack of strong leadership, it needs to be addressed ASAP. People are getting sick of platitudes, and desperately need some action now!