Brian Whittle is putting pressure on the Scottish Government to speed up their responses to offers of personal protective equipment for NHS staff and carers.
As demand for face masks, gloves, gowns and other protective equipment soars, local MSP Brian has challenged Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to speed up the process of responding to businesses who contact the Scottish Government offering PPE.
Many businesses across Scotland have been doing their bit to supply PPE to those who need it most. Schools and other maker groups have been using 3D printers to create facemasks and many other businesses who aren’t currently operating have donated their stocks of gloves and masks. Some businesses have gone further and are actually making masks and other protective clothing from scratch.
Despite all these efforts there are still reports of health and social care workers struggling to access supplies of the protective equipment they need. The Scottish Government has created a dedicated e-mail address for people to contact about PPE supplies but there are concerns about long delays between sending an e-mail and getting a response.
Scottish Conservative shadow health minister Brian, who previously was a director of a healthcare technology company, has raised concerns with the Scottish Government about the amount of time it’s taking for them to respond to businesses offering to supply PPE.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“Many businesses and volunteers across Scotland are doing great work to get personal protective equipment where it’s needed most and I want to thank them all for their efforts.
Despite the effort that’s going into supplying PPE, there are still too many cases of health and social care workers struggling to get what they need. At the same time, I’ve spoken to businesses who have PPE to donate or are able to manufacture PPE but are struggling to get in touch with the right people.
Locally, I have forwarded details of suppliers with the capability of manufacturing or supplying PPE to the Scottish Government for their consideration, but it’s clear the system needs to get faster.
After raising this with Cabinet Secretary for Health twice, she has pledged to see what can be done to speed up the process.
Getting enough PPE to meet demand is a huge challenge for the government. While there’s been a lot of effort going into boosting stocks, it’s clear there are still suppliers out there that we aren’t making the most of. Health and social care workers need this kit and we owe it to them to keep trying to get it there faster. “
