UNIONS have demanded a public inquiry into the “grotesque” failure to provide front-line workers with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). 

The TUC says that ministers must commit to undertaking an independent judge-led inquiry on the issue by the end of the year.

In a statement issued today, it says that the failure to give staff adequate PPE has resulted in workers being exposed to unnecessary risk — citing the deaths of more than 80 health and social-care workers in the pandemic so far. 

Any inquiry must focus on the reasons for delays and planning for PPE, whether guidance to diverse workplaces was timely and robust, whether staff were pressured to work with inadequate PPE — or were threatened after raising concerns about the lack of it — and why organisations have struggled to source it, the statement says.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said of the shortage: “This is a grotesque failure of planning and preparedness. It must never be allowed to happen again. Our NHS, social-care and key workers deserve better.   

“Right now, the government must sort out the PPE crisis urgently. 

“But we are also calling on ministers to commit to an independent public inquiry into the failure to provide front-line workers with adequate PPE, kicking off by the end of this year.”

Hospital trusts rounded on the government yesterday after the delivery of 400,000 medical gowns from Turkey was delayed.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said that there was “relatively low confidence” among trusts that the gowns — originally due to be delivered on Sunday — would have found their way to Britain yesterday.

The NHS is thought to use about 150,000 gowns a day, meaning that the stock from Turkey would last less than three days.

Mr Hopson said that trusts are being forced into “hand-to-mouth” workarounds, including washing single-use gowns and restricting stocks of PPE to medics working in key areas.

The NHS Confederation, representing organisations that commission and provide NHS services, said that delays on the shipment from Turkey “make a difficult situation worse” and that it would prefer no promises to be made if they could not be fulfilled.

Responding to the delay, transport union TSSA’s leader Manuel Cortes redoubled calls for a government department to be set up to organise and oversee production of protective wear in Britain.

“This new ministry must have the ability to requisition industry to ensure we manufacture the life-saving supplies our country so badly needs,” he said.

“Sadly, the current situation with regards to supplies is perhaps even worse than when I made my original call [on March 16].

“It’s time for the government to stop dithering and give our NHS heroes and other essential workers the tools they need to safely continue to do their precious jobs.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden was hopeful yesterday morning that the gowns would arrive from Turkey by last night.