Recommendation 17

The Department said that in addition to holding a much larger stockpile, another alternate strategy it could have previously adopted was to buy British and therefore creating a resilient, flexible PPE manufacturing industry in this country, rather than buying from abroad. It advised us that its future plans for a more resilient supply chain did include using British manufacturers to reduce dependence on international supply chains.32 The Department acknowledged it is essential that work is undertaken to establish a cost- effective approach for buying and holding appropriate levels of PPE.33 This will need to strike the right balance between ensuring the Department has sufficient quantities of PPE 26 Qq 54, 55, 59 27 Qq 32, 37 28 Q 88 29 Q 88 30 Q 47 31 Qq 48–52 32 Q 16 33 Q 48–49 Department of Health and Social Care 2020–21 Annual Report and Accounts 13 to protect the workforce in any future pandemic or from any variant of concern; and avoids paying for PPE at the top of the market, against holding PPE that incurs ongoing storage costs and expires if not used before it degrades. 14 Department of Health and Social Care 2020–21 Annual Report and Accounts 2 Accountability and future plans Proper use of public money