Morel Court care home and Ty Gwyn nursing home, which are both run by the charity MHA, has appealed for residents to sign their PPE petition as part of a wider UK campaign.

Morel Court said today: ''There's still time to sign our urgent petition and help us call for the correct and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) within the care sector.

''By signing our petition you will be supporting our campaign, to ensure the flow of PPE can continue to reach our nurses, carers, cleaners, maintenance workers, chefs and volunteers. So that they are equipped with all the tools they need to continue delivering safe care for our residents.''

You can access the petition here.

Ty Gwyn had the first reported and confirmed case of coronavirus in Penarth.

MHA said: ''Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, our committed workforce has been working tirelessly to support the residents we care for.

''We, and our suppliers, have been working around the clock to source and move personal protective equipment (PPE) to where it is needed, to ensure the safety of our residents and colleagues, but it is proving increasingly difficult to do so.

''But we shouldn't be in this position and this is why we need your help.

''We need you to help us put the necessary pressure on the Government and our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson so that we can ensure that our colleagues, and indeed all carers, who have become the second frontline are equipped with all the tools they need to safely do their job.

''Sign our petition now and help us call for the correct and necessary PPE within the care sector.

''Nurses, carers, cleaners, maintenance workers, chefs, volunteers and many more are going into our services, half of which have coronavirus outbreaks. They do so to care for and protect some of the most vulnerable in society.

''Additionally, we need PPE so families are able to wish farewell to their loved ones. We are asking the Government to provide our homes with adequate and reliable PPE not just for our colleagues but also to offer families.

''We have heard the Government promise that they will help send more PPE to our friends at the NHS, but this rhetoric has not matched the reality on the ground for our care workers. We need PPE and we need it now.

''We are able to turn the Excel into a hospital practically overnight; we are getting engineers to make more ventilators. Likewise, we desperately need the manufacturing of more PPE to be commissioned.

''As a society, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that those people working on the frontline have access to the correct and necessary PPE.

''The least the Government can do is provide flowing access to the necessary kit so they can continue to effectively do their jobs in the safest way possible.''

MHA has also recently appealed to local schools, businesses and factories to donate aprons, masks, goggles and other protective equipment to help manage the increased demand caused by the coronavirus, and a backlog of government supplies.

Andy White, director of property at MHA said: 'We are asking schools, colleges and factories within our communities to consider donating any supplies that are not currently needed.

"We are fortunate to be part of a bigger group of care homes which means resources can be re-allocated, but overall supplies have not been replenished as quickly as we would like. Any surplus PPE that schools, colleges or factories could donate would be gratefully welcomed.

"Our priority is to keep our residents and staff as safe as possible. Care staff are working on the front line of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the UK. It's essential that they have the equipment they need to keep themselves safe, as well as the people they are caring for."