In the coming days, members of GMB Beds County Branch along with Mick Lancaster GMB Regional Organiser, will be delivering vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all staff, including GMB members working in local authority care homes across Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough Council.

After receiving a number of calls and emails from GMB members working in these care homes who are concerned about the future supply of PPE, GMB Beds County Branch took matters into their own hands and have sourced and purchased additional backup supplies of PPE, which the branch plan to deliver themselves.

The items being delivered to each local authority run care homes are face masks, gloves, aprons as well as a full face visor for every member of staff.

Martin Foster GMB Beds County Branch Secretary said:

“Staff including many GMB members who work in local authority care homes across Bedfordshire, come to work every day to care for their residents. They are putting themselves at risk, not knowing if they have or will contract this deadly disease themselves and take it home to their loved ones.

GMB is here to ensure that work is safe, and if the government does not provide adequate funding to local authorities in order to provide our members with proper PPE, we will step in and do whatever we can to help.

We want to ensure that all our members who leave their home for work, return at the end of their shift safe and well.

With the PM’s message of encouragement for workers to return to work this week and the mixed message on face coverings, GMB believe this will put even more pressure on the supply chain of PPE for frontline key workers.”