Urgent appeal: Leonard Cheshire urges public to help it protect the carers
Leonard Cheshire’s carers, the nurses and support workers in our residential services, are on the frontline in the battle against Coronavirus.
Protect our carers
Equipment to protect our carers is urgently needed. Take a stand and support our carers with PPE.
The disability charity this week launched a national appeal for donations to help pay for PPE equipment that protects staff, their families and residents from the potentially deadly virus.
With the surge in cases hitting the UK, 4700 staff continue to care for nearly 3,000 disabled people at 120 Leonard Cheshire services. Each month the charity is already spending £250,000 on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and this figure is increasing significantly. Many staff are doing extra shifts to cover for colleagues who are self-isolating.
Since March 23, 2020, all Leonard Cheshire residential services have been closed to relatives and friends of residents to control the spread of Covid-19. While technology is being used to help residents keep in touch with loved ones, they have no one else but our staff during the Coronavirus lockdown.
The nature of their job means staff work in close proximity to the people they care for, with many of those supported having complex needs.
The charity is doing all it can to source and pay for hundreds of thousands of items of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as masks, aprons, gowns and gloves, with some specialist items in short supply.
Currently 50,000 masks are needed every single week for example. Many items must be disposed of immediately after use.
Leonard Cheshire is asking the public to show its support for 4,700 caring heroes, with a donation towards the cost of PPE.
- £5 buys protective eye goggles so carers can keep covered
- £10 buys a box of disposable gloves so we can handle things safely
- £15 buys full face visors used if people being cared for have symptoms
Neil Heslop, CEO of Leonard Cheshire:
“Our staff are doing amazing work under immense pressure. They love what they do and wouldn’t be anywhere else because they know residents need them.
“We are doing whatever it takes to ensure our staff, their families and the people we care for are safe.
“We are asking the public to stand alongside our frontline heroes of the Coronavirus pandemic. Show you care, as we continue to protect disabled people.”