Ministers will today face criticism over a failure to ensure NHS staff treating coronavirus patients have vital protective equipment as Parliament returns following an extended Easter break.

The Government has insisted “every possible option” is being pursued to secure additional kit but said with unprecedented worldwide demand, the situation was “very challenging”.

It comes as the first of three RAF flights finally left on Monday for Turkey to begin collecting a consignment of personal protective equipment (PPE) including 400,000 surgical gowns.

Some 140,000 gowns had arrived from Burma, but with the NHS using 150,000 a day, the demand on resources remains intense.

With fears staff in hospitals and care homes are risking their lives, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called for an independent inquiry into the Government’s handling of the issue to be mounted before the end of the year.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Every day frontline workers are being forced to risk their lives because they don’t have the proper protective equipment.

“This is a grotesque failure of planning and preparedness. It must never be allowed to happen again. Our NHS, social care and key workers deserve better.”

In other developments:

– Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves accused the Government of ignoring offers from British manufacturers to fill the gap.

– Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals and NHS trusts in England, warned the NHS’s supply of face masks could be jeopardised if the Government begins advising the public to wear them, saying “clear evidence” would be needed before advice was changed.

– The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, Sage, which advises the Government, will reportedly consider the evidence at a meeting on Tuesday.…Read More…

Read Also: First RAF plane collecting PPE from Turkey finally takes off….

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