Recommendation 5

The Department has handed back responsibility for the PPE programme to Supply Chain Coordination Limited (SCCL) with many issues still to be resolved. Since October 2021, oversight of SCCL transferred from the Department to NHS England and in April 2022 the Department transferred the responsibility for managing the supply of PPE to SCCL. This means that responsibility for the logistical management and distribution of PPE across the 70 sites that the Department built up now resides with SCCL. In other areas, however, such as the resolution of the 176 contracts in commercial dispute, responsibility is to remain within the Department. The Department was due to produce a PPE strategy where we expect roles and responsibilities to be clearly set out, but this has been delayed and is now not expected to be completed until summer 2022. Recommendation: The Department should release its PPE strategy in full as soon as possible, setting out how it will work with SCCL and what the respective roles and responsibilities of each organisation will be in the ongoing management of contracts and future procurement activities. If the strategy is not available by the end of September, the Department should write to the Committee to explain the reason for the delay. Management of PPE contracts 7