COVID-19: Supply of ventilators

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 24 Sep 2020 Closed: 25 Mar 2021 Parliament page
This inquiry continues our work on the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, focussing on the NAO’s investigation into the supply chains and procurement of ventilators. The NAO report will set out the facts about the government’s spending on efforts to rapidly increase the number of ventilators available to the … Read more
10 Recommendations
12 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 4 events
25 Mar
2021
Report published
16 Mar
2021
Correspondence
25 Nov
2020
Report published
12 Oct
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
12 Oct 2020
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COVID-19: Supply of ventilators
Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office David Williams · Daily Mail Emily Lawson · NHS England and NHS Improvement Gareth Rhys Williams · Crown Commercial Service Sir Chris Wormald · Department of Health and Social Care
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: Supply of ventilators HC 685 25 Nov 2020 22 Response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
22 results
2 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
It is not clear how the Department of Health and Social Care is assessing whether...
It is not clear how the Department of Health and Social Care is assessing whether the NHS has enough critical care equipment for future demand. NHSE&I’s estimate of how many mechanical ventilators the NHS would need in a worst-case scenario … Read more
HM Treasury
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3 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
Despite having to operate at speed, the Department of Health and Social Care still had...
Despite having to operate at speed, the Department of Health and Social Care still had a duty to carry out full due diligence for all parts of the supply chain. In early March, initial attempts by the Department to secure … Read more
HM Treasury
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4 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
The ventilator challenge was an exceptional and far from traditional approach that offers some lessons...
The ventilator challenge was an exceptional and far from traditional approach that offers some lessons for future programmes although they could not be applied wholesale under normal circumstances. The ventilator challenge was undoubtedly a significant achievement, involving a huge effort … Read more
HM Treasury
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5 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
Both programmes succeeded in part due to cross-government working and the expertise of key individuals...
Both programmes succeeded in part due to cross-government working and the expertise of key individuals involved. It is clear that both programmes were successful in part due to the involvement of different government departments that were best placed to carry … Read more
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
The ventilator challenge produced intellectual property that should be exploited to maximise value for the...
The ventilator challenge produced intellectual property that should be exploited to maximise value for the taxpayer. The ventilator challenge produced a number of designs in a very short space of time, even though many did not go on to be … Read more
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department of Health and Social Care (the Department), the Cabinet Office and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) on the government’s efforts to … Read more
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7 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
When we challenged the Department on why it did not begin its initial efforts to...
When we challenged the Department on why it did not begin its initial efforts to buy more ventilators until the 3 March, it explained that there was a “huge amount” of work done in February to understand the disease and … Read more
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
From February to April, NHSE&I’s estimate of how many mechanical ventilators the NHS would need...
From February to April, NHSE&I’s estimate of how many mechanical ventilators the NHS would need in a worst-case scenario changed repeatedly. Its estimates were based on reasonable worst-case planning assumptions assured by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which … Read more
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
However, when the programmes began in early-March, departments were looking at a potential need of...
However, when the programmes began in early-March, departments were looking at a potential need of up to 90,000 mechanical ventilators, far more than the 7,400 thought to be available. The Department acknowledged that it was never going to be able … Read more
HM Treasury
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10 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
It is fortunate that the majority of the ventilators were not needed and that there...
It is fortunate that the majority of the ventilators were not needed and that there is now additional capacity if they should be required in the future. Nevertheless, we are concerned that the Department was not able to give a … Read more
HM Treasury
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11 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
From 3 March, in response to the anticipated shortage of ventilators, the Department began to...
From 3 March, in response to the anticipated shortage of ventilators, the Department began to purchase as many ventilators as it could using existing NHS supply chain framework agreements, which are designed to ensure competitive pricing. It explained that as … Read more
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12 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
From 13 March the Department, therefore, stepped up its efforts to purchase ventilators directly from...
From 13 March the Department, therefore, stepped up its efforts to purchase ventilators directly from overseas with significant help from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of International Trade in China.18 The Department told us that while it … Read more
HM Treasury
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13 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
We recognise that given the circumstances the Department had to move quickly.
We recognise that given the circumstances the Department had to move quickly. However, regardless of the circumstances, government regulations require departments to carry out due diligence on the organisations that they buy from and exclude organisations that do not comply … Read more
HM Treasury
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14 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
The Cabinet Office’s ventilator challenge, which encouraged UK businesses to develop new ventilators from scratch...
The Cabinet Office’s ventilator challenge, which encouraged UK businesses to develop new ventilators from scratch and increase the production of existing products or modified designs, was undoubtedly a significant achievement. In total, it produced around 15,000 mechanical ventilators in the … Read more
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
However, it is important to remember that the challenge did not take place under normal...
However, it is important to remember that the challenge did not take place under normal circumstances. Ventilator Challenge UK, the consortium of businesses that worked together to produce the Penlon ES02 ventilators, described the process as “working against a backdrop … Read more
HM Treasury
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16 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
Nevertheless, there are clearly elements of the challenge which could be applied to future programmes.
Nevertheless, there are clearly elements of the challenge which could be applied to future programmes. For example, the Cabinet Office told us that it took a number of steps to ensure that suppliers costs were reasonable, such as working on … Read more
HM Treasury
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17 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
In any government programme, departments should aim to work collaboratively across government and to involve...
In any government programme, departments should aim to work collaboratively across government and to involve people with the right skills from the outset. Yet this is not something we always see in the programmes we report on.28 In this case, … Read more
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
For example, the Department explained that both the Department for International Trade and the Foreign...
For example, the Department explained that both the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped it to purchase ventilators directly from China, which it viewed as the largest untapped market for ventilators. Both departments played a … Read more
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
The Cabinet Office also drew on external expertise where required.
The Cabinet Office also drew on external expertise where required. We heard that the Chief Commercial Officer happened to have a background in running engineering and product development companies that meant he was well placed to develop and initiate the … Read more
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
From the outset, Cabinet Office’s strategy was to support a number of both new and...
From the outset, Cabinet Office’s strategy was to support a number of both new and existing designs. This was to provide it with insurance against new designs not meeting the regulatory standards on time and the likelihood of it facing … Read more
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
In total the Cabinet financed 18 devices from 17 challenge participants over the course of...
In total the Cabinet financed 18 devices from 17 challenge participants over the course of the challenge; the majority of which were either completely new designs or modifications of existing designs. Through its technical design process, which eliminated devices based … Read more
HM Treasury
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22 Recommendation
Twenty-seventh Report - Covid-19: …
Designs are a type of intellectual property (IP), which if protected, can provide value for...
Designs are a type of intellectual property (IP), which if protected, can provide value for the owner.36 The Cabinet Office told us that it owns the IP for the designs it paid for and that it either owns all or … Read more
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 1 letter
16 Mar 2021 Correspondence from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, re Treasury Minute response – Covid-19: Supply of Ventilators, dated 12 March 2021
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