Recommendation 10

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department held a stockpile of PPE to respond to what it considered was a reasonable worst-case scenario of an outbreak of pandemic influenza.19 It was identified in the early stages of its COVID-19 pandemic response that the stockpile it held was inadequate to respond to the urgent needs of the NHS and Social Care sector.20 The stockpiles only provided an estimated two weeks’ worth, or less, of most types of PPE needed by the NHS and social care during the pandemic and did not include gowns which were needed.21 Prior to the pandemic, there was no nationally centralised model for procuring and distributing PPE to the health and social care sectors. A separate ‘parallel’ supply chain was set up by the Department, which included establishing a ‘High Priority Lane’ (also referred to as a ‘VIP’ lane) that included referrals of potential suppliers from MPs, ministers and senior officials. In January 2022, the High Court published its ruling that the use of the High Priority Lane was unlawful.22