ESSEX County Council has secured 200,00 protective masks from China in a bid to plug a PPE hole in the social care sector.

The authority says a 30-year relationship with counterparts in Jiangsu Province helped to secure the deal.

The masks will be distributed throughout the sector in Essex and its neighbouring counties, including Norfolk.

The first shipment of 100,000 masks arrived in Essex this week.

The process involved finding factories in China with the correct documentation and those which were on approved lists for medical device exports.

The team then liaised directly with the factories before working with Woodland Group – a global supply chain specialist – which was able to ensure costs were kept low and appropriate inspections took place prior to organising the correct customs documentation and successfully delivering the equipment to our dedicated storage facility this week.

Due to the national shortage of PPE, Essex County Council is continuing to put plans in place to establish local supply chains in order to meet urgent local need.

The service is alsoavailable, free-of-charge to other councils across the country during the outbreak, helping them to identify suppliers, perform due diligence and liaise on prices and minimum orders, before they purchase the equipment themselves.

Cllr David Finch, leader of Essex County Council, said: “I’m so pleased we have been able to work with our colleagues in China and across the supply chain to procure this vital equipment and to also be able to offer this support to other councils in critical need of PPE. 

“While we know the government is doing everything they can to get more PPE to the care sector, in Essex we have been very clear that we cannot sit around and wait for this to happen. “The national PPE shortage will not be solved overnight and so we have been actively working on our own solutions. It is of paramount importance that care staff are protected so that they can carry out their vital duties to keep people safe.”