Bosses running Slough's Wexham Park Hospital are putting frontline staff at risk by failing to provide adequate protective equipment or proper training say by the trust that runs the hospital.

The GMB union says NHS frontline non-clinical staff are being forced to rely on common sense and instinct when dealing with patients possibly infected by Coronavirus.

The union claims there is a lack of soap, hand sanitiser and suitable masks available to protect staff.

Asia Allison, GMB regional organiser said: “The support staff are already in overdrive - overwhelmed and at high risk of anxiety and stress, before you even factor in the risk of the virus itself. If the management don't wake up and step up, the trust will find itself with a legacy of mental health issues, from the stress that this outbreak will have taken on its workforce."

Fellow GMB organiser Gary Palmer said: "GMB members are telling us that some managers do not want to see or speak to their own front line staff for fear of possibly getting cross-infected. At the same time these managers are expecting the same staff to ‘get on with their job’, and not raise a fuss about not getting training or appropriate PPE."

Wexham Park Hospital is run by the Frimley Health Foundation Trust which also responsible for Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot as well as Frimley Park Hospital.

A statement from the trust said that looking after staff was a top priority.

It said: "All staff are trained in infection prevention and control measures for their role and we are following Public Health England guidance in relation to training and use of PPE (masks and other protective equipment).

"We are responding to all staff concerns as fully and as promptly as we can. We are providing extra communications channels to ensure that any concerns about personal safety can be raised directly with the leadership team and relevant information gets back to everyone."

The statement said the trust was grateful to staff for their positive attitude and denied a union claim that some 'self isolating' staff had been pressed to count it as holiday.