Commenting on a leaked document drafted by Public Health England outlining “last resort” plans to deal with shortages of personal protective equipment for health workers, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said today (Wednesday):

“These desperate measures are a shocking indictment of the lack of proper planning and preparation for supplies in the pandemic.

“The situation in care homes is nothing short of an emergency and there will be preventable deaths if staff aren’t properly equipped.

“The Health and Safety Executive shouldn’t be complicit in signing off these measures.

“It must protect the health of workers who are risking their lives to do their jobs.”