Delivery company apologises after crucial shipments of PPE masks for Northampton healthcare companies go missing for a week

"Masks are a precious commodity right now... We need these masks because I want my staff to have that level of security."
PPE Masks are being shipped to care companies - but three businesses in Northampton didn't get theirs for a week. Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Image.PPE Masks are being shipped to care companies - but three businesses in Northampton didn't get theirs for a week. Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Image.
PPE Masks are being shipped to care companies - but three businesses in Northampton didn't get theirs for a week. Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Image.

A set of crucial shipments of PPE masks needed by three Northampton healthcare companies to protect their patients were wrongly sent to a different address and went missing for a week.

The Government is shipping packs of protective masks to UK healthcare companies to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

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But three care businesses in Northampton were left feeling "anxious" for a week after delivery company DPDgroup left them at the wrong address, signed them as "delivered" and called it a day.

Three healthcare businesses operating out of the Innovation Centre have been waiting for the crucial masks for a week.Three healthcare businesses operating out of the Innovation Centre have been waiting for the crucial masks for a week.
Three healthcare businesses operating out of the Innovation Centre have been waiting for the crucial masks for a week.

The three companies - Assisted Living Care Group, Peartree One Ltd and FARJ Services - all operate from the Innovation Centre on Green Street and were expecting the shipments on March 23.

But they never arrived - but listed as "signed and delivered" on the package tracker.

Registered manager of Assisted Living CG Mr Waseem - who were expecting a delivery of 300 maks - told the Chron: "Masks are a precious commodity right now. I honestly worried they had been stolen.

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"I ran out of masks and tried to procure them from anywhere I could. But I physically couldn't.

"I couldn't even ask the Government response team to send more because as far as they were concerned it was delivered.

"It left me anxious. We need these masks because I want my staff to have that level of security.

"And what neighbour did they leave them with? Our only neighbour is the train station."

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A spokesperson for DPDgroup said the company will attempt to retrieve the masks and redeliver them.

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