A UNION has claimed an NHS staffing crisis looms in the region’s coronavirus-hit hospitals.

The GMB claim the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and “poverty pay” mean cleaners will not be willing to risk their lives.

There have been concerns nationally over shortages of masks and surgical gowns for NHS staff nationally.

But the chief medical officer of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, insisted last week that staff are fully protected from the virus.

The union point to reports from London and say the situation may extend to the south est.

It claims that hospital cleaners in several London trusts no longer want to expose themselves to hospital environments as they are not willing to risk their lives on poverty pay with no PPE.

It says that one London NHS trust will have a shortage of 40 cleaners this weekend increasing the risk of cross infection on the site. 

GMB organisers claim hospitals cannot get agency nurses to work on coronavirus hit wards and that they are returning to their homes leaving staffing shortages “even worse than before”. 

Helen O’Connor, GMB Organiser, said: “As this crisis escalates daily GMB is getting disturbing reports from NHS members they are not willing to risk their lives on poverty pay with no PPE 

“Staffing levels from nurses right through to cleaners are plummeting and workloads are increasing.

“We already have a serious recruitment issue in the NHS but this pandemic will worsen it. 

“The NHS is the most risky place to work in this country right now because people are certain to encounter seriously ill Covid-19 patients.

"The Government must take urgent action to rectify this situation and attract the people we need on the frontlines into the service.

"NHS workers are currently putting their lives on the line. The least they should expect is their pay and protective equipment reflects the huge risks they are taking for all of us.”

Dr George Findlay, who directs Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton said last Thursday that his staff in the city were fully protected.

He said: “The trust is receiving daily deliveries of supplies and we are closely monitoring this stock and its distribution across the hospitals.

“We have processes in place which enable staff to request equipment and raise any supply issues, enabling these to be dealt with promptly.

“Ensuring our staff have the right equipment to care for our patients and carry out their work safely is a priority for the trust.

“This ensures our staff are protected and the right equipment is available at the right time as the coronavirus outbreak progresses.”

The World Health Organisation Europe director Dr Hans Henri Kluge previously called on governments to protect health workers from exposure to coronavirus.

He said: "Health facilities have to have the necessary equipment to care for those seriously affected and to protect health workers from exposure," he said.

"WHO delivers laboratory equipment, medical devices and personal protective equipment to countries in need.

"We are aware of some critical shortages and working hand-in-hand with partners like the European Commission and WHO globally and the private industry to tackle this."

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal.  Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund