Care England, the largest representative body of independent adult social care providers, has welcomed the Government’s decision to extend free PPE to care providers, for COVID, until the end March 2022.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“PPE is one of the main barriers in a care setting to limiting the spread of COIVD-19 thus Care England is pleased that the Government has listened to its pleas for an extension to free PPE as it will help protect some of society’s most vulnerable as well as our staff at the frontline”

Yesterday the Government confirmed that it was extending the provision of free PPE to health and social care providers until the end of March 2022 as the expectation of clinical experts is that usage will remain high throughout the next financial year. As the Government has made clear, the vaccine is not a silver bullet and the care sector must remain astute by maintaining high levels of infection prevention and control. PPE plays a huge role in this.

Although setting up free PPE via a centralised mechanism took some months, the current system means that providers can order and receive PPE thus maintaining a high level of sustainability and resilience in relation to PPE supply. Equally as significantly, there is the ability for the system to respond nimbly to the ever-changing Covid landscape.

Martin Green continues:

“PPE also plays a critical role in the wider COVID-19 response, such as enabling visiting to care homes. We do not know what the winter this year will bring but free, rigorously tested PPE gives providers a chance to be prepared”.