HEALTH and care workers in Wales lack access to personal protective equipment, despite government pledges of widespread distribution to front-line staff, Unison Cymru said yesterday.

The public service union’s Welsh branch said that healthcare workers were “frightened and anxious” as they treat victims of the virus and face infection themselves.

Unison Cymru regional secretary Tanya Palmer said: “Health and care staff across Wales are extremely concerned about the provision of personal protective equipment. 

“They are frightened and anxious that it is not yet in place, placing them and their families at risk. This is adding to what is already a stressful working environment.

“A lack of protective equipment risks the spread of the virus amongst the staff who are trying to protect us all.”

Ms Palmer demanded that employers must do more to ensure that staff at the forefront of the fight against the virus are as safe as possible.

She said provision of the equipment was “imperative.”