Beckie Hart: Call to arms on PPE shortages

Coronavirus has changed daily life as we know it, and business is no different.

In the past few weeks, we’ve spoken a lot about the impact that coronavirus has had on firms across Yorkshire and the Humber and the need to treat this as both a public health and economic emergency.

We’ve stressed that health and safety come first, whether among family or colleagues, talked about clarity around workplace guidelines and been thankful for quick interventions from government to protect lives and livelihoods.

And amongst all this; I speak to businesses every single day who are being real heroes and going above and beyond in the time of turmoil a subject which featured so prominently in this paper over the weekend.

Despite everything, they’re emerging as an unofficial ‘fifth emergency service’ – keeping the wheels of daily life – and the economy – turning.

We are seeing powerful reminders of the difference that business can make – in support of the health service, vulnerable people, and of course, to their employees and other businesses.

Beer, gin and whisky makers turning their hand to anti-bacterial sanitisers to support the NHS. Energy and water companies working with government to help those struggling to pay their bills.

However, the one key blockage that remains, is the need for much more protective equipment. Essential masks and gowns, are in short supply in some of our hospitals and care homes and that’s why the CBI launched a PPE challenge to ask all businesses what they can do to fill the gap and protect our frontline health and care workers.

So with this in mind the CBI are holding a webinar, tomorrow to explain how you can play a part and I’d urge you to do that, and this isn’t just aimed at people who have a factory, we’re urging firms with the skills or people with expertise that could be harnessed to get involved, as well as those who have skills that could be useful for the fight. If you’d like to sign up, please go to the CBI website and find the form there.

Business heroes come in all shapes and sizes, it’s the takeaway that is providing free curries, delivered to the door of an NHS worker who has just come off a 12-hour shift or supermarkets offering hours of shopping to key workers and those who are vulnerable.

We all must play our part and I’m delighted to see that so many businesses in our region already have.

Beckie Hart is CBI regional director for Yorkshire.