Inquiry must explain why £8.7bn was written off by Government in relation to PPE - Greg Wright

DURING the height of the pandemic, millions of people made sacrifices for the greater good.

Businesses were closed. Grieving families were torn apart. NHS workers were placed under appalling strain as the pandemic tightened its grip on everyday life. But, even in the darkest hours, the vast majority of Britons respected the limitations imposed by the Government because they wanted to save lives. In return, they expected Boris Johnson’s administration to make prudent choices with public finances which were in keeping with their own noble intentions.

It’s not hard to understand the fury which has greeted the announcement that some £8.7 billion spent by the Government on personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic has been written off.

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New documents from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) show huge amounts were wasted on useless equipment, while millions of pounds has been spent getting out of contracts or storing PPE at ports.

Library image of Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street as he joins in the nationwide Clap for Carers. Millions of people made sacrifices to support the Government's bid to halt the pandemic.Library image of Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street as he joins in the nationwide Clap for Carers. Millions of people made sacrifices to support the Government's bid to halt the pandemic.
Library image of Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street as he joins in the nationwide Clap for Carers. Millions of people made sacrifices to support the Government's bid to halt the pandemic.

According to the 2020/21 accounts, some £673 million worth of equipment was found to be totally unusable, and £750 million was spent on items that were not used before their expiry date.

Nearly £2.6 billion was spent on “items not suitable for use in the NHS,” but which the department thinks can be sold or given to charities. These failings are hard to explain. There were plenty of experienced PPE suppliers in the UK who were eager to help the Government.

Last year, Thomas Martin, the chairman of the specialist safety company Arco, which helped to curb the spread of SARS and Ebola, described how he faced a “disorientating and frustrating” experience as he attempted to supply life-saving PPE to the Government.

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Mr Martin said Arco was disappointed to read the details of the accounts published regarding the amount of PPE procured during the pandemic that will now be written off.

Mr Martin said: “We understand that this £8.7bn cost is as a result of the Government buying equipment that was not fit-for-purpose, paying increased prices in a competitive global market and purchasing products that subsequently had passed their expiry date. Of most concern was the £2.6bn that was spent on PPE not suitable for use in the NHS.

He added: “Whilst we appreciate there was an urgent requirement for PPE for frontline responders at the beginning of the pandemic and that the Government was facing unprecedented and challenging circumstances, we still believe that, with our track record in sourcing, emergency planning and distribution of PPE, the Government could have engaged more proactively with Arco to benefit from our expert knowledge to support the process.”

Arco still believes there are important lessons to learn from what went wrong. It has produced a position paper: Personal Protective Equipment and the Government’s Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

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Arco has shared its own experiences during the pandemic and proposed a 10-point set of recommendations that could help prevent a repeat of the problems that are now coming to light.

Mr Martin added: “Arco remains ready and willing to work with the Government and its agencies to ensure that we are better protected for any future emergencies.”

The Government’s auditor, the comptroller and auditor general to the House of Commons, said in his section regarding the accounts that the DHSC was put under “extraordinary pressure” by the pandemic and had to operate outside normal processes and procedures. Yesterday, a No 10 spokesman told the Press Association: “We stand by the decision to purchase the items that we did”.

The Department of Health said only about 3% of PPE purchased cannot be used because it is not fit for any purpose.

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When the pandemic struck, Arco should have been one of the first companies contacted by the Government to supply PPE. Arco was a known quantity.

We need a formal inquiry about how PPE was procured and why Arco, and a host of other specialist companies, encountered frustrations when trying to engage with the Government and save lives. Supply chain transparency is essential to stop taxpayers’ money being wasted on a vast scale.

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