A care home provider said it is paying five times the usual amount for face masks, while local authorities continue to struggle to get enough protective equipment.

Methodist Homes (MHA) said it was forced to spend £200,000 on face masks from a trusted private supplier because it cannot depend on the Government’s allocation processes.

This works out at roughly 97 pence per mask, when usually they would spend 17 pence when sourcing through the Government.

The supply, due to arrive in the next few days, will last around a month.

We are chasing PPE at every single site we are working in, and of course you can’t spend £200,000 each month just on face masks, it’s just not a sustainable situation

MHA chief executive Sam Monaghan said the charitable operator cannot remain in a position “where we are having to procure kit from the private market at heavily inflated prices because the Government supply is insufficient”.

He told the PA news agency: “We are almost four weeks in now, and MHA area managers are still driving every night picking up stock from one home, taking it to another, reallocating based on confirmed and suspected cases, but of course that’s neither the best nor the most sustainable approach.

“We just need adequate and consistent supplies.

“If you are a single provider, with two or three or five care homes, I think it must be really difficult for them.”

MHA has had 210 Covid-19-related deaths across 131 homes, while two staff members have also died.

The charity is launching an emergency appeal asking people to donate so it can continue to secure the personal protective equipment (PPE) it needs.

A domestic manufacturing effort with companies such as Rolls Royce was also announced last week, but Mr Monaghan said he had not yet seen the impact of this.

He continued: “We are not seeing any of that filter through to our providers yet.

“At a very local level, we are chasing PPE at every single site we are working in, and of course you can’t spend £200,000 each month just on face masks, it’s just not a sustainable situation.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Downing Street press conference on Wednesday that a supply network of “unprecedented scale” would help get PPE to care home staff.

The UK military has helped to deliver more than 923 million PPE products including 173 million masks, 163 million aprons, 1.3 million gowns and 440 million pairs of gloves, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Hancock said last week there is enough PPE to go around if it is used in line with official guidance, and his goal is that “everyone” working in a critical role gets what they need.

It comes as the Local Government Association said some councils are still experiencing shortages, sourcing gowns from vets and dentists, and coveralls from the police, fire and rescue services, utility companies and local businesses.

Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, said the lack of PPE was a “national scandal”.

He tweeted on Tuesday: “I’m told we are getting a PPE delivery tomorrow for the city which is only half of what we got last week.

“Last week we got 40% of what we needed. We are having to ration provisions to care providers. This is a national scandal.”

Rhidian Hughes, chief executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), said: “The coronavirus pandemic has shone a bright light on the incredible work that social care workers and organisations carry out every day.

Care services should be recognised as equal partners with the NHS, on the front line of managing this pandemic, and receive the same levels of support

“It is therefore scandalous that social care has consistently been at the end of the queue when it comes to accessing personal protective equipment vital to protect people who use services and the workforce.”

Helen Wildbore, director of the Relatives and Residents Association, said: “Care services should be recognised as equal partners with the NHS, on the front line of managing this pandemic, and receive the same levels of support.

“PPE should also be made available to allow relatives to visit those in care at the end of their lives or in distress due to conditions like dementia.”