Recommendation 9

However, when the programmes began in early-March, departments were looking at a potential need of up to 90,000 mechanical ventilators, far more than the 7,400 thought to be available. The Department acknowledged that it was never going to be able to increase capacity to this level, but aimed to raise it as much as possible to provide a buffer in case interventions such as social distancing were not as effective as anticipated.13 It was not 7 Qq 42, 45 8 C&AG’s Report, paras 1, 2.7 & Figure 2 9 Q 43 10 Qq 44, 46 11 C&AG’s Report, paras 1, 2.7, 2.9 & Figure 2 12 Q 60 13 Q 60; C&AG’s Report para 2.7 & Figure 2 Covid-19: Supply of ventilators 11 until after the peak of COVID-19 hospitalisations on 14 April, at which point almost half (43%) of the 6,818 critical care beds with ventilators were unoccupied, that Ministers adopted official targets to make a total of 18,000 ventilators available to the NHS by the end of April and 30,000 by the end of June via both programmes.14 While the Department recognised that at this point it was evident that the NHS would be “well clear” in terms of the numbers required, it said that it consciously set higher targets to increase capacity for a potential second peak. The departments missed both of the targets, eventually reaching the 30,000 by 3 August.15