Getting help with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Background UNISON knows that some staff groups may have less employee voice within an organisation. This means they may not feel able to raise concerns with their employer about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). UNISON believes everyone should be listened to and assessed for their exposure risk based on the latest guidance. We also believe that the right levels of PPE in quality and quantity should be available to staff for the work they are being asked to do, based on an up-to-date risk assessment. Gaps in PPE provision There may be occasions where staff are being expected to treat patients and are not provided with the suitable level of PPE as determined by their local risk assessment based on the national guidance. Or there may be occasions where staff are undertaking a procedure which carries a risk to them which is beyond the scope of the local risk assessment completed by their manager. There may also be times when the type of patients being cared for or procedures being conducted in a clinical area have changed but the level of PPE provided has not been reassessed. In these cases the wording below can be used by a UNISON member, collectively by UNISON members, or by UNISON branches to raise concerns. Getting the basics right All staff, patients and visitors need to follow the basic Infection Prevention Control (IPC) measures such as social distancing and transmission based precautions (contact, droplet and airborne) such as handwashing, surface wiping and face cover...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: health PPE Source Type: news