Cornish carer 'turned away from petrol station because she isn't an emergency worker'
Joanna works in domiciliary care and is backing calls for ALL healthcare workers to get priority access
A carer has told us she was turned away from a petrol station in Cornwall because she is not an emergency worker.
Joanna works in domiciliary care and helps the most vulnerable in their homes.
It comes as The British Medical Association calls for all healthcare workers to be given priority access.
The union, Unison, wants some garages to be set aside for essential workers.
"I don't have time to queue or hunt down garages"
In a message sent to us on Facebook, Joanna said: "Absolutely fuming. Sunday morning at 6.30am and I'm turned away from the only petrol station open (next nearest 10 miles away) because as a carer in the community I'm not classed as an emergency worker! This is not funny!
"I'm working on palliative care today! People need help getting out of bed to go the the toilet, hoisted into wheelchair, medication given, dressed and washed. This is disgusting!
"I'm on a 12 hours shift today. I have 15 minutes between visits if I'm running on time; I DON'T have time to queue or hunt down garages!".
Joanna's boss and the area manager for Bluebird Care in Newquay, Ellen Mills, said: "Because we're domiciliary care workers that provide a vital service in our communities to the most vulnerable people, we need fuel and access to fuel to be able to do our jobs.
"It's a necessary evil. If we can't do our jobs then I don't know what would happen to these people that we support with this vital service".
Ministers have been meeting today (Monday 27th September) to discuss the shortage of lorry drivers following days of panic buying at the pumps.
The government has temporarily suspended competition rules to allow rival firms to target priority deliveries.
Boris Johnson is considering drafting in the army to help train truckers, but we are told there are no plans to use the military for driving at the moment.
Environment Secretary and Camborne and Redruth MP, George Eustice, has insisted there is plenty of fuel in storage and coming out of the refineries.
He said: "The only reason that we have an issue at the moment with some petrol stations not having petrol on the forecourts is that people are buying petrol when they wouldn't.
"The most important thing everyone can do is just get back to normal, fill their cars up as they normally would and not buy petrol unless they need it".
On Monday evening, fuel companies, including BP, Shell and Esso, said they think demand will soon return to normal.
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