Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 19
19
The Department told us that it had not been complacent over the stockpiles, but that...
Conclusion
The Department told us that it had not been complacent over the stockpiles, but that COVID-19 was a novel virus and it learned more about it over time. Unlike influenza, COVID-19 can be passed on by people who are not showing symptoms of the illness. The Department explained that this meant government needed to provide PPE to a much larger group of people to stop the spread of the virus. It also said that while there were vaccines and antiviral medication available for managing influenza, this was not the case with COVID19, and that government did not have the gowns needed for managing COVID-19 because its infection control policy had been to use aprons rather than gowns.29 The experience of frontline organisations
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
2: PAC conclusion: While government had plans and a stockpile of PPE, this proved inadeq uate for the COVID-19 pandemic. 2: PAC recommendation: The Department must improve its approach to managing and distributing stocks of PPE to ensure the correct equipment gets to those who need it, when they need it. The Department should write to us by July 2021 to confirm that: • Stockpiles hold everything required as specified in the Department’s plans. • Stock is checked regularly and there is a process for monitoring and replacing stock before it is out-of-date. • Stock is held in locations from which it can be distributed quickly when required • There are contingency plans to secure new items of clinical equipment which may be needed at short notice. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2021 2.2 The department purchased personal protective equipment (PPE) in line with modelled demand covering; all potential customer groups and relevant categories of PPE, worst-case scenario assumptions guidance. 2.3 The government has increased UK manufacturing capability so UK firms can meet future demand at short notice. 2.4 The department now holds a four-month stockpile of COVID-critical PPE to mitigate against demand fluctuations. A flexible UK logistics network has been developed, using long and short-term storage facilities. The department has a network of warehouses that hold, pick and distribute PPE. These draw stock from an array of short notice, onshore storage facilities, together with our offshore warehouses in China. 2.5 Stock is tracked, monitored and managed at a product-level across the UK to meet upcoming requirements; a rolling stock take is conducted in core warehouses. Processes are in place to review the quality of all the PPE the government has bought. This process determines whether products are suitable to be released to the frontline. Any that cannot, are subject to further investigation. 2.6 The department will make information available in due course confirming the future approach for the stockpile management of PPE. 2.7 The department is reviewing its countermeasures for disease outbreaks and pandemics, including PPE. This review will revisit the recommended specifications and volumes based on expert advice. It will build on the experience of COVID-19 to recommend procurement, storage, monitoring and distribution models to ensure that stock is in good quality and can be rapidly deployed in sufficient quantities when needed.