Up to £2 million is being earmarked by Essex County Council to buy its own personal protective equipment (PPE) for council departments and care providers.

The county council says that despite reassurance from central government, expected centralised deliveries of face masks, aprons and gloves have not arrived.

The earmarked £2 million will be used to purchase around two weeks’ supply of PPE on behalf of the council and its  providers.

It is hoped that this will provide sufficient resources to cover the period until the ongoing issues with national suppliers are resolved.

Indications are that supply chains are now beginning to recover, and the two-week supply will be sufficient bridging provision.

The Government has come under increasing attack over the failure to provide proper PPE equipment to health workers, with some reports of health workers buying their own from DIY stores.

The situation has got so bad that over the last week, the county council has been running  a Facebook donation page where in excess of 300 local companies and individuals have offered access to their PPE which is not being used.

The 200 donations from this appeal are being allocated to those council teams and providers in most critical need. The donated items are offering some support, but face masks and eye protection remain very low in supply.

A statement accompanying a cabinet report said: “Deliveries of PPE are starting to come through, but not yet with regularity or in sufficient volumes to meet more than a few days’ requirement for the council and social care providers.

“This is particularly the case for certain essential items, including face masks, aprons and gloves.

“By ordering our own stock of these items now, we can ensure essential equipment is available to support where it is needed until the national supply chain is functioning properly.”