COMPANIES are rallying round to ensure that North Yorkshire’s care workers receive the safety equipment needed to continue their vital work.

North Yorkshire County Council senior officers spent much of last weekend calling business associates across the region who could help in the crucial sourcing of PPE (personal protective equipment).

In particular, they were in search of Type II R fluid-resistant surgical masks, so that carers can continue to carry out their critical work safely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result of collective effort and calls late into the night, Skipton company Deliver Net, which procures medical and cleaning products for care companies, linked in with the County Council to make a delivery this week of 11,000 of these urgently needed face masks.

Deliver Net is one of seven distributors of PPE nationally chosen by the Department for Health and Social Care in a bid to quality assure products and to minimise profiteering.

Council chief executive Richard Flinton said: “I could not ask more of our business partners.

“As soon as we put the call out about the need to maintain our PPE stocks and the need to extend our supply chain, the business community pulled out all the stops on our behalf.

“By Monday we were linked in with Deliver Net, a vital company within our own county that could help out.”

Tim Lockett, Deliver Net’s chief executive said: “We want to help out as much as we can and we are very happy to be able to support the county council with a supply of face masks and develop a relationship.

“A lot of sub-standard products are out there in the market and we make it our responsibility to source the right equipment at the right price for this crucial sector.”

Mr Lockett said he had set up a dedicated team for loading and delivering PPE to meet demand during the current crisis.

He said: “We are doing everything we can to maintain supply and meet demand responsibly though it’s very challenging right now.”

The county council, which continues to press ahead with its own established channels for PPE supply, is buoyed by this quick response from regional business as calls from senior officers prompted a rapid chain of support.

The council has also been supported with emergency back-up supplies from a range of other local and regional businesses, including the natural oils company O&3 which sourced thousands of respiration face masks from a supplier in China that are now on their way to North Yorkshire.

Mr Flinton said: “It is very heart-warming to know we have so much help out there in meeting this critical challenge.

“But this problem carries on; the challenge continues as we struggle with national supply and so we need people to continue to rally to our cause.”