THE chief executive of a Cork nursing home has said more support is needed to access personal protective equipment.

Tony O’Brien, who is chief executive at St Luke’s Charity and Home in Cork, said it was facing significant challenges in sourcing masks for the residential care centre.

St Luke’s Home employs 220 staff and has 128 beds available for residents.

New guidance introduced in recent weeks means that masks must now be worn by all healthcare workers caring for residents, regardless of whether or not the patient may have Covid-19.

Mr O’Brien said this means they must source 10,000 masks weekly to meet the needs of the centre.

However, accessing supplies has not been straightforward, and Mr O’Brien said they have had to try to go to new suppliers on the market themselves to purchase masks.

“PPE is a challenge — when it boils down to it masks

[supply] are an issue worldwide. There is a significant lack of supply,” Mr O’Brien explained.

 

CLICK HERE to read the full article

 

By Mary Corcoran, Echo Live.