Nationwide call for schools to donate stock of personal protective equipment to HSE

• National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals has asked schools, where possible, to donate their science lab stock of personal protective equipment to the HSE.
• Unused protective gear to be made available for front line services.
• Clive Byrne, NAPD Director: “At this time of national crisis, when our medical professionals are putting themselves on the frontline to battle Covid-19, everyone must do their part to help where they can.”

 

The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) has today, 03 April 2020, called on its members to donate their school’s surplus science laboratory personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline services.

Significant stocks of PPE currently lie unused in secondary schools across the country and are now set to be made available to teams on the frontline.

The NAPD has issued a circular to its members, asking them to arrange for their school’s supplies of personal protective equipment to be transferred to local hospitals and nursing homes. Principals have been guided to contact their local Garda station, who have committed to collecting all donated equipment from schools and facilitating its delivery to the HSE.

School principals can also make supplies available through the Office of Government Procurement website, here.

Guidelines on the type of PPE suitable for donation have been provided by the HSE and included in the NAPD’s request to members. The list includes protective goggles, glasses, gloves and gowns.

 

Commenting on the move, Clive Byrne, NAPD Director said:

“Today we have called on all secondary schools to donate their science lab personal protective equipment for use in our hospitals and nursing homes across the country.

“At this time of national crisis, when our medical professionals are putting themselves on the frontline to battle Covid-19, everyone must do their part to help where they can.

“Many secondary school science labs have significant quantities of unused goggles, gloves and other forms of PPE. While schools are closed and there is an acute shortage of PPE across our health service, school leaders have felt it appropriate to add school stocks to the national supply.

“School leaders have been asked to co-ordinate the gathering, packing and provision of science lab PPE safely, following all HSE social distancing guidelines.

“We welcome the support of An Garda Síochána in facilitating the collection of PPE supplies from schools. We also welcome the guidance from the Department of Education on this matter.”