Cllr Janet Burgess

• I WAS both saddened and frustrated to read of the Islington carers who have had to source their own personal protection equipment, or get their clients to buy it for them, (Disabled pay for their carers’ masks, April 3).

They should be in no doubt that responsibility for this failure to supply equipment lies with central government, who have dragged their feet for months on this critical issue.

It is a disgrace that supplies have only started to filter through to the council in the last couple of weeks.

And we have been doing our utmost to get it into the hands of the people who badly need it, including carers on the front line and those who pay for their own care.

As part of the council’s action plan to suppress the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 among some of the most vulnerable in our society, we wrote to all Direct Payment users in mid-March, advising them who to contact in an emergency and outlining our plans to provide personal protection equipment to them, which we are now doing.

Our Direct Payments team have also made welfare calls to all recipients on the scheme who use carers, including agency staff, and ensured that all carers are entitled to key worker parking permits.

In addition, to help reassure carers who cannot see their clients because they are having to self-isolate or are isolating with their family, we will be paying their wages for March and April as well.

We will continue to do everything in our power to provide personal protection equipment, support, guidance and information to all carers and those they care for.

CLLR JANET BURGESS
Executive Member for Health and Social Care