Recommendation 10

The British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing told us that their organisations did not have access to the high-priority lane, even though they were being contacted by, and therefore would have been able to put forward, credible leads based on the knowledge of their members. The British Medical Association also noted that suppliers which had contacted them, including suppliers trusted by doctors, tried the normal channels of reaching out to the Government but had “hit a brick wall”. Care England told us that it had similarly shared the details of potential suppliers but there had been no follow-through. The Department was unable to confirm whether the British Medical Association had access to the high-priority lane and committed to checking this.16 12 Qq 117–118, 134, 144, 272; C&AG’s Report The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, paras 10, 2.2, Figure 6 13 Qq 89, 149, 179, 191 14 Qq 179–188 15 Qq 179, 180, 182, 186; 191–192; C&AG’s Report Investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic, paras 3.12–3.14, Figure 6 16 Qq 46–47; Qq 181–184 14 COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment Volumes of PPE procured