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Manufacturers offering to make personal protective equipment have not received responses from the government, a Labour shadow cabinet minister says.
Rachel Reeves said she has been told by “lots” of firms that they had heard “nothing back” from the government.
It comes amid mounting criticism of the government over concerns about supply of protective gear for NHS staff.
But Chancellor Rishi Sunak said they were working “around the clock” to address the problem.
Meanwhile, an RAF aircraft left the UK on Monday for Turkey to pick up a delayed delivery of protective kit. It is due to collect 400,000 gowns.
And an organisation representing UK dentists says dentists in England are facing “critical shortages” in personal protective equipment (PPE).
The type of PPE required depends on the level of risk. Guidelines recommend that anyone working within 2m (6ft) of a confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patient should wear an apron, gloves, a surgical mask and eye protection.
Clinicians carrying out tasks that could generate airborne droplets of saliva loaded with the virus should use an even higher standard of protection, including disposable gowns, filtering respirators and face-shielding visors.
Ms Reeves, MP for Leeds West, tweeted a copy of a letter she sent to cabinet minister Michael Gove on Saturday to express concern about PPE during the coronavirus outbreak.
She went on to tweet that the letter had prompted manufacturers to contact her with concerns that they had not had a response from the government.
In her letter, she said there was a “huge desire” within the UK’s textile’s industry to help provide protective gear.
“It is therefore concerning that the government has not been taking advantage of this,” she wrote.
“I was particularly concerned to hear industry fears that the government had favoured engaging with major fashion and clothing brands for the production of PPE, over companies that may have been better placed to manufacture what is needed as quickly as possible.”
Fashion retailers in the UK, including Burberry, Barbour and David Nieper, have reopened factories to help boost supplies.
But concerns over supply of PPE to the NHS has intensified over the last few days.
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers complain that a lack of adequate kit such as gowns, masks and gloves puts them at increased risk of catching coronavirus and of spreading it to their patients.
On Monday, at the government’s daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Sunak said the government would “pursue every possible option” to secure more PPE.
He said ministers were trying to resolve problems around a consignment that had been expected to arrive from Turkey on Sunday, but was hit by “unexpected” delays.
However, he said there were regular shipments expected from other sources, and cited a delivery of 140,000 gowns from Myanmar.
“We’re improving our sourcing internationally and domestically to make sure we can get the PPE we need in what is a very challenging international context,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers – which represents healthcare trusts across England – said there was “no doubt” some hospital trusts were already experiencing shortages of the gowns.
He said that while the 400,000 gowns from Turkey would be welcome, NHS staff were getting through approximately 150,000 gowns a day.