Newport council 'refuse' to send Covid PPE to vulnerable

Jul 06, 2023

NEWPORT City Council has been blasted for "refusing" to supply vulnerable people with free personal protective equipment (PPE) even though it has been paid for by the Welsh Government.

The PPE is provided free by the Welsh Government to all local authorities in Wales at a time when Covid-19 is resurgent.

But now Newport City Council, along with their counterparts in Merthyr and Denbighshire, have been accused of a “gross dereliction of duty” by Care Forum Wales (CFW) after informing care providers they would no longer distribute PPE to them.

However, Newport City Council have said CFW are "incorrect" in their accusation.

More than 108 people in Wales tested positive for coronavirus last week and there were seven deaths linked to the disease.

Those figures are expected to rise in the autumn and winter.

With Covid cases rising, CFW chair Mario Kreft said the "blatant disregard for the safeguarding of vulnerable people was a further demonstration that, if local government is not following guidance for vulnerable people, we should have a national framework for social care".

Mr Kreft spoke out after the councils sent a message to providers blaming the Welsh Government for failing to fund the storage and the distribution of the PPE, which includes face masks, latex gloves and disposable aprons.

In an email Newport City Council has informed care providers it "no longer has capacity for storage or collections".

"You would have been informed by email," the statement continues.

"Our involvement has now ended.”

Mr Kreft said: “The councils have been given this PPE free by the Welsh Government and they’re not prepared to make any effort to get that to vulnerable people and the registered staff who are caring for them.

“Care homes and home care companies are supposed to be able to have the PPE free of charge.

“It’s shocking and a dereliction of duty by these authorities and they should be held to account for it.

“Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide services.

“Whoever has made these decisions needs to be held accountable if this leads to illness and death."

The situation, Mr Kreft said, was "an example of a system of social care where the Welsh Government says one thing and a local authorities like Newport and Merthyr say another".

Newport City Council have said, in a statement: "We contacted care providers earlier this year to advise them that Welsh gGvernment arrangements for the provision of free PPE would stop at the end of June 2023, in line with the government's position at the time.

"All remaining PPE stock we had at the time was distributed to care providers.

"Within the last month, the government has reconsidered its position, and asked councils to provide information around the practicalities of resuming this provision.

"The council is currently working with Welsh Government on this. As there is no PPE provision in place at the moment, suggestions that we are not passing it on are incorrect."

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