The government accepts the recommendation to set out a strategy to secure a supply of appropriate PPE that works for all staff in the NHS and care sectors. These findings are in line with Recommendation 5 in the Public Accounts Committee report ‘COVID- 19: Government procurement and supply of personal protective equipment’,31 which has been implemented. The government expects that PPE should be distributed fairly to all health and care workers. The global pandemic created significant logistical challenges. Despite these challenges, as of 31 March 2022 19.8 billion items had been delivered to help protect frontline workers. The government acknowledges that in the early stages of the pandemic there were points where stock in certain areas was extremely low but as the National Audit Office’s report, ‘The Supply of PPE during the COVID-19 Pandemic’32 recognised, “all of the NHS providers they spoke to were always able to get what they needed in time.” While the government does not accept that staff from ethnic minority backgrounds had unequal access to the correct PPE, it acknowledges that some ethnic minority staff may have had difficulty with the fit of some items of PPE. The following steps have been taken to identify and respond to the diverse needs of the health and social care workforce in the supply and distribution of appropriate PPE: ● Customer engagement panels have been established through which staff groups with protected characteristics, including those from different ethnic backgrounds, are engaged in discussions on their experiences of using PPE. Several issues raised have now been addressed, and their experiences are already being incorporated into future PPE provision. ● One issue raised centred on staff from different ethnic backgrounds reporting difficulties with FFP3 masks fitting correctly. Having an appropriately fitting mask is essential for effective protection. A further eight types of mask are available, and over 16 different models are supplied, providing a portfolio of different shapes and sizes of mask to cater to a diverse range of users of PPE. ● Alongside supply of FFP3 masks, NHS Trusts and staff are supported with fit testing. Since November 2020, over 220 fit testers have been recruited and trained to Health and Safety Executive standards. Over 100,000 tests have been completed so far with a current pass rate of over 80% on the range of masks currently available. Data indicates that there is now a good fit-test performance achieved across protected characteristics, including ethnicity. Positive feedback has been received from NHS Trusts and staff about the effectiveness of this support. ● In March 2021, a Cabinet Office COVID-19 Taskforce Field Team undertook engagement with health and social care workers, including those from different ethnic minority backgrounds, to better understand their experiences of PPE. The outcomes broadly confirmed that the actions already taken to address their PPE needs are the right ones in particular, on ensuring access to appropriate fitting PPE. The government remains committed to learning the lessons from the pandemic, particularly in relation to the experience of health and care staff with different protected characteristics, and wants to continue to build an integrated and resilient PPE supply chain which is informed by the needs of frontline staff.