UNISON today won their campaign at a national level to improve the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) guidance to ensure ambulance workers can wear PPE on every direct patient care job.
Commenting on the success, Ronagh Craddock, Regional Organiser said: “We are delighted with this change but must be clear that it should not have taken the Government so long to do what staff have quite rightly been asking for – adequate protection on the frontline in the fight against Covid-19. These workers are putting their lives at risk to keep our loved ones safe”.
Joel Byers, UNISON North East Ambulance Branch Secretary, said: “This is a welcome change and it wouldn’t have come about if UNISON had not been fighting for it at every level in recent weeks. I would like to thank our members who have contacted us on this issue, sharing their first hand experience really helped us make our arguments more forcefully.”
“As the Covid-19 crisis continues, our members health and safety remains our number one priority. We will always fight their corner and make sure their voices are heard. We will continue to work in partnership with the North East Ambulance Service to ensure that this update is reflected in Trust guidance and we are continuing to work hard to improve the PPE guidance for cardiac arrests as a matter of urgency”.