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Amidst
the Covid-19 pandemic, our committed workforce at MHA has been
working tirelessly to support our 6,000 residents. However, they
have been doing so without a steady and secure supply of the
correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and without testing for
the virus, which would protect both them and our residents.
Our
managers, nurses, carers, cleaners, maintenance staff, chef’s,
administrators and volunteers have daily been going into our homes,
50% of which are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks.
That’s
why we need your help. We have been petitioning Government since
the outset of the pandemic to address these shortfalls and to
recognise the vulnerability of those in care homes alongside those
in the NHS. Only now is it starting to be recognised that we are
the second front line and we need to be properly equipped with all
the tools to safely do that job.
Additionally,
we need PPE so families are able to say farewell to their loved
ones as they approach the end of their lives, as they are not currently
allowed in our homes for the protection of residents, staff and
themselves. We are therefore asking the Government to provide our
homes with adequate and reliable PPE not just for our residents and
colleagues, but also to offer to families.
We
are now hearing that the Government are going to make more
provision for PPE and testing in care homes, but these plans are
light on detail and timescales. So we will continue to need to
source PPE from commercial organisations, costing sometimes five times
the price of Government supplies, because those supplies have
proved inconsistent and inadequate. And we will continue to need to
transport PPE across the country between our homes, to meet need
when homes experience a Covid-19 outbreak. And we will continue to
caste a light on how vulnerable those in our homes are, residents
and staff, to this pandemic. We have already lost over 200
residents where they have been confirmed or suspected as having
Covid-19; and we have lost two of our colleagues.
Our
church has a proud tradition of social justice and concern, out of
which MHA itself was born 76 years ago. So I am asking you and your
churches to stand alongside us at this vital time to ensure that
those most vulnerable and those working on the front-line to
care for them, have access to the correct and necessary PPE and
testing.
- You can support us by signing our petition
to ask the Government to ensure adequate and consistent
supplies of PPE and timely and ample testing for residents and
staff by 26 April. Click here to sign
the petition
- You can donate to help us purchase the
vital PPE we need – face masks, gloves, goggles, aprons and
gowns, vital to limit spread and protect staff, residents and
their relatives. Click here to
donate
- You can volunteer in our homes and Live at
Home Schemes, crucial to countering the increased loneliness
and isolation of so many vulnerable elderly people during the
lock-down. Click here to
learn about the volunteering opportunities available
Thank you, stay safe.
With every blessing,
Sam
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