Call up our firms now to make PPE and save NHS lives – The Yorkshire Post says

They realise, just like the companies concerned, that this is a national emergency – a war-like effort is needed to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic – and this should have been co-ordinated from the outset of the crisis.

And, like them, The Yorkshire Post shares the frustration of all those businesses whose deep desire to support this undertaking, at a time when shortages of equipment are leading to the deaths of NHS staff and carers, is being thwarted by officialdom.

Even in early March when Boris Johnson issued his SOS for the manufacture of hospital ventilators, it was obvious that there was going to be a shortage of face shields, scrubs and so on.

It should have seen the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – the clue is in the name – issuing a national appeal and creating a bespoke team to handle the response and procurement requirements.

Yes, one billion items of PPE have been supplied during this crisis, a figure that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed to MPs, but many of the 8,000 companies offering their services have not even received a reply or follow-up call. The boss of Ripon-based Network Medical Products went on Channel Four News to reveal his anger over the automated response that he was sent.

Demoralising, Mr Raab’s comments about the need for quality control also missed the point. These firms want to help and – because the threat to human life is so serious – they will ensure that their products meet stringent health and safety protocols.

As such, now is the time for the Government to place its faith in British business to mass produce PPE like never before. Over to you, Mr Raab.

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