UK Inquiry Tracker

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of personal protective equipment

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 22 Oct 2020 Closed: 19 Apr 2021 Parliament page

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, public sector bodies have had to procure goods and services with extreme urgency. Under emergency laws brought in at the start of the pandemic crisis, the Cabinet Office - which oversees government’s buying policies - has changed some of the procurement rules for contracts … Read more In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, public sector bodies have had to procure goods and services with extreme urgency. Under emergency laws brought in at the start of the pandemic crisis, the Cabinet Office - which oversees government’s buying policies - has changed some of the procurement rules for contracts relating to the government’s response to COVID-19. Concerns have been raised about some of these procurements, including around a lack of transparency. The NAO has now published two major reports, one on the way government has handled procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic , and one specifically on its procurement and contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) , including: - How PPE was supplied to NHS and social care organisations before the COVID-19 pandemic started - What government did, between the pandemic emerging in other countries and arriving in the UK, to prepare for the provision of PPE in the NHS and social care organisations - How government responded when problems arose in the supply of PPE - The scale of problems in the availability of PPE throughout the emergency This inquiry will take evidence on both reports, examining the scale of Government’s COVID-19-related contracting, how procurement rules have changed and how the government is managing the risks associated with these changes. For a chosen sample of these contracts it will look specifically at who bought what, from whom, and at what cost, during the pandemic - and whether this is delivering value for taxpayers money in the crisis. In mid-December the Committee will hold two evidence hearings on the findings across both these reports. In the first hearing, the Committee will question representatives of frontline medical and care associations. In the second hearing, the Committee will question senior officials at the Cabinet Office and Department for Health and Social Care. If you have evidence on the issues raised in this inquiry please submit it here before 6.00pm on Monday 7 December. Show less

11 Recommendations

18 Conclusions

1 Report

2 Oral sessions

4 Letters

2 Events

Activity timeline 8 events

10 Sep
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re PPE Procurement and Supply, dated …

3 Sep
2021

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-second report from Session 2019-21

10 Jun
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from Public Accounts Chair Meg Hillier to Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, …

20 May
2021

Correspondence

Copy letter sent to various PPE Suppliers in connection to the inquiry COVID-19 Government procurement and supply of protective equipment

14 May
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from the Department of Health and Social Care on the Committee's 42nd report of Session 2019-21 - COVID-19 Government Procur…

10 Feb
2021

Report published

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

14 Dec
2020

Oral evidence

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

10 Dec
2020

Oral evidence

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions

14 Dec 2020

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COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office David Williams · Daily Mail Gareth Rhys Williams · Crown Commercial Service Jonathan Marron · Department for Health and Social Care Michael Brodie · NHS Business Service Authority

10 Dec 2020

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COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Dr Chaand Nagpaul · Council of the British Medical Association Dr Emily McWhirter · Royal College of Nursing Gavin Edwards · UNISON Professor Martin Green · Care England

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Government procurement and suppl…	HC 928	10 Feb 2021	29	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 results

13 Conclusion Acknowledged

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

The Department asserted that while it had deliberately secured a significant stockpile of PPE, it...

The Department asserted that while it had deliberately secured a significant stockpile of PPE, it was not clear it had over-ordered as the stock would be needed for the ongoing COVID crisis. It admitted that it did not have full … Read more

Government Response

The government describes its current PPE strategy, including purchasing based on modelled demand, increased UK manufacturing, a four-month stockpile, and a flexible logistics network. It will provide future information on stockpile management and is reviewing countermeasures for disease outbreaks, implicitly acknowledging the context of the committee's observations.

HM Treasury

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21 Conclusion Acknowledged

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

The Department explained that its formal reporting arrangements did not identify any provider organisation, in...

The Department explained that its formal reporting arrangements did not identify any provider organisation, in health or social care, as having run out of PPE completely. It monitored the risk that social care could run out within 48 hours. It … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the implied "recommendation" (despite the item being a conclusion), acknowledging frontline evidence and stating it has factored this into ongoing customer engagement, improving understanding of user needs, and increasing available PPE options.

HM Treasury

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25 Conclusion Acknowledged

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

Staff representative organisations ran surveys in which frontline staff reported not having the PPE they...

Staff representative organisations ran surveys in which frontline staff reported not having the PPE they needed. The British Medical Association, the Royal College of 37 Qq 11, 17, 37–38, 66–67, 121, 123 38 Qq 11–12, 17, 23–24, 37, 66, 123; … Read more

Government Response

The government acknowledges the evidence from frontline workers presented in the NAO report regarding insufficient PPE and reuse of single-use items, while asserting that rapid action ensured trusts never stocked out.

HM Treasury

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26 Conclusion Acknowledged

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

We asked about the experience of BAME staff and whether this had been different to...

We asked about the experience of BAME staff and whether this had been different to that of their white colleagues. The British Medical Association told us that its surveys showed between two and three times as many BAME doctors as … Read more

Government Response

The government acknowledged the evidence regarding BAME staff experiences, stating it has factored this into its engagement program, continues to invite feedback, and is increasing PPE options to address diverse individual needs.

HM Treasury

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28 Conclusion Acknowledged

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

Witnesses representing the health and social care sectors raised a number of concerns about the...

Witnesses representing the health and social care sectors raised a number of concerns about the PPE guidance issued by government. The Department told us that it held conversations with the Royal Colleges (and with the NHS and public health services … Read more Witnesses representing the health and social care sectors raised a number of concerns about the PPE guidance issued by government. The Department told us that it held conversations with the Royal Colleges (and with the NHS and public health services of the UK nations) about the PPE guidance issued.47 The British Medical Association told us that, in March, the government guidance differed from the guidance of the World Health Organization: in particular government guidance did not recommend the use of eye protection in GP practices. Government did revise its guidance to recommend eye protection in early April. The NAO report stated that PPE guidance had been updated 30 times by 31 July, and the Royal College of Nursing highlighted that the frequency of changes was difficult for a provider organisation to manage and that the changes were 42 Qq 7–8, 11, 17, 49, 62, 142–143; C&AG’s Report The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, paras 18, 3.19–3.21, Figure 16 43 Q 49; Royal College of Nursing, Personal protective equipment: Use and availability during the COVID-19 pandemic (national survey results), 18 April 2020; C&AG’s Report The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, para 3.26 44 Qq 53–57, 260–261 45 C&AG’s Report The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, paras 3.22–3.23, Figure 17 46 Qq 53, 276 47 Q 142 20 COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment often issued late on a Friday with providers required to implement them from Monday. Care England and UNISON were concerned that the language of the guidance was not relevant for social care, and UNISON told us that government guidance permitting the re-use of masks led to many social care workers being required to wear the same mask for an entire 12-hour shift, which they felt was unsafe. The British Medical Association said it had concerns around the guidance for PPE use dur Show less

Government Response

The government acknowledges the concerns about PPE guidance, stating it has factored the evidence into its engagement programme and continues to invite feedback from customer groups, aiming to improve understanding of user needs and increase available options.

HM Treasury

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29 Conclusion Acknowledged

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

By the end of June, 44 Transport for London workers had lost their lives to...

By the end of June, 44 Transport for London workers had lost their lives to COVID19. We asked representatives of health and social care staff organisations about the provision of PPE to non-healthcare key workers, such as taxi drivers, cleaners, … Read more

Government Response

The government states it is developing a framework to determine how to respond to PPE shortages across health, social care, and wider sectors, which could be adapted for future needs.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 29 of 11 classified

Accepted 14

Acknowledged 6

Deferred 1

Not Addressed 8

Total 11 recs + 18 conclusions

Correspondence 4 letters

10 Sep 2021 Correspondence from Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re PPE Procurement and Supply, dated 27 July 2021

Parliament page

10 Jun 2021 Correspondence from Public Accounts Chair Meg Hillier to Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re Following on from COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment, dated 28 May 2021

Parliament page

20 May 2021 From committee Copy letter sent to various PPE Suppliers in connection to the inquiry COVID-19 Government procurement and supply of protective equipment

Parliament page

14 May 2021 Correspondence from the Department of Health and Social Care on the Committee's 42nd report of Session 2019-21 - COVID-19 Government Procurement and Supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Parliament page