PPE milestone reached with delivery of ten million items in Notts

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic a year ago, the distribution of PPE has been supported by Nottinghamshire County Council as a partner in the Local Resilience Forum (LRF).

The LRF is a multi-agency partnership of local public services, ensuring that PPE is allocated to the right people in the right place at the right time. And this week, the ten-million milestone was reached.

More than six million items have gone to the adult social care sector, with nearly 1.5 million items to GP surgeries. PPE has also been delivered to residents who are receiving care at home from a personal assistant.

Examples of PPE include medical face coverings and masks, gloves, gowns, respirators, aprons and alcohol-based hand-sanitisers.

Kaj Ghattaora, of the LRF, said: “I am really proud of the role our staff have played in the safe distribution of PPE throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It has also been a great opportunity to work with our colleagues from partner agencies.

"Passing the one-year mark is an important milestone too, and I would like to thank all involved for their dedication.”

Lucy Fox, programme officer for the PPE team, said: “I have been working with people across the organisation, provider partners and health suppliers, to ensure that the service-users of our PPE are supported.

"Everyone has worked hard to make sure there are supplies of PPE for those who need it to do their jobs safely, and we continue to make this a priority.”

County council staff have been key in delivering equipment to many businesses and services from a central depot at Wynhill Lodge in Bingham.

Co-op Funeral Care is one of the businesses to have received support, and its regional manager, Dean Anderson, said: “The LRF has been a brilliant support all the way through the pandemic.

"When PPE supplies were critically low, it was a godsend in keeping my colleagues safe.

"I don’t know how we would have got through the early months without the LRF.”