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A group of MPs have responded to calls for them to step in and resolve the "shambolic" lack of coronavirus protective kit for GPs in Kent.
Senior doctors yesterday blasted officials for failing to provide adequate amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) and potentially putting doctors at risk.
In a letter, a group of doctors from the Kent Local Medical Committee (LMC) – which represents GPs in the county – urged the county's 17 MPs to ensure more PPE is secured to frontline staff.
The government has been facing mounting pressure in the last few days as NHS chiefs say many hospitals are running out of protective gowns, gloves and masks.
But the leading doctors say many GPs have been left feeling unsafe at work due to the lack of PPE.
The LMC said it "strongly condemns the current shambolic situation regarding the lack of adequate PPE made available to GPs and practice staff".
MPs today responded saying they recognise difficulties some areas of the NHS are facing in "obtaining the right PPE".
A statement has been issued on behalf of 11 of Kent's Conservative MPs – Damian Green (Ashford), Sir Roger Gale (North Thanet), Craig Mackinlay (South Thanet), Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey), Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford), Natalie Elphicke (Dover and Deal), Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe), Kelly Tolhurst (Rochester and Strood), Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells), Laura Trott (Sevenoaks), Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) and Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald).
The MPs said: "We recognise the difficulties in some areas of the NHS in Kent in obtaining the right PPE.
"We are all working with government and local providers to try to solve these problems as soon as possible.”
Doctors called on MPs to help make sure PPE "in accordance with World Health Organisation guidance" is provided to health and social care staff in Kent "immediately".
They add the actions will restrict more frontline staff from coming to "preventable harm due to the lack of PPE".
Damian Collins added: "Our NHS operating at substantially increased capacity, has been able to meet these pressures, and from the briefings I have received, expects to continue to do so throughout this crisis. This is an outstanding achievement of both resource planning and clinical excellence.
"However, there is also pressure to make sure that NHS workers have the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) depending on the care setting they are working in within the health service. This has been another massive logistical challenge."
In the letter to MPs, the doctors – including Faversham's Gaurav Gupta and Medway's Julian Spinks – say: "We consider it unacceptable to present any health and social care workers with the dilemma of having to see patients and clients without adequate protection.
"To date we are not aware of any GP practice that has received adequate supplies of appropriate PPE to comply with Public Health England from central stock.
"Specifically, the recommended eye protection is unavailable to GPs from the central stock.
"We are aware that practices are having to rely on donations, personal innovation and the creativity of community supporters for which we are grateful. We need to be assured that PPE sourced through these channels is safe and dependable.
"The government must address the lack of adequate PPE and treat health and social care workers as the precious resource they are.
"We ask all Kent MPs as our elected representatives to exert pressure on the government and all relevant bodies to address this failing immediately and to ensure no Kent health and social care workers are infected with Covid-19 in the service of their clients and patients."
The government yesterday announced it would be launching a taskforce to bolster the UK manufacturing lines of PPE.
It will be headed by the former chief of the London 2012 Olympics organising committee, Lord Deighton.
A flight carrying more than 400,000 items from Turkey, which had been due to arrive on Sunday, took off late on Monday and is due to start being distributed around the country today.
