To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS staff and key workers have personal protective equipment and suitable reserves of equipment; and when they estimate new equipment will be delivered to such workers.
Answered on
12 May 2020
While the United Kingdom entered the current situation with a stockpile designed to respond to a pandemic influenza and a no-deal exit from the European Union, the supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE) was designed to accommodate delivering to 226 National Health Service trusts. We are now providing essential PPE supplies to 58,000 different providers.
In response we brought in the armed forces to aid distribution and the Government published ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan’ on 10 April. It incorporates guidance on who needs PPE and when they need it, routes to ensure those who need it can get it at the right time and sets out actions to secure enough PPE to last through the crisis. We are working at pace to bolster the supply chain to ensure it is able to meet the high demand for PPE from the health and social care sectors.