UK: PPE worth £1.4 billion purchased during pandemic destroyed or unused - Reports
PPE kits
According to mediareports, personal protective equipment (PPE) worth an estimated £1.4 billion that the government purchased in a single transaction during the epidemic has been destroyed or 'written off'.
According to data shared by the BBC, Full Support Healthcare, a Northamptonshire-based provider, supplied at least 1.57 billion PPE pieces that would never be utilised.
In April 2020, the business signed a £1.78 billion contract with the government to supply respirators, aprons, face masks, and eye protection. This was the biggest Covid-19 PPE order, accounting forabout 13% of the government's entire expenditure, according to the BBC article.
“We know that billions of pounds were wasted during the pandemic on corruption and incompetence by the Conservatives, but this is the worst example I have ever seen," shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said.
“£1.4bn on one contract, paying for PPE that was never used, and Rishi Sunak’s fingerprints are all over it. That is money that could have been used to pay the salaries of 37,000 NHS nurses," he added.
Only 232 million of the 2.02 billion PPE items that Full Support Healthcare supplied have been sent to the NHS or other care settings.
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The BBC reports that 825 million more items are categorised as surplus stock, and that around 749 million items have already been burnt or destroyed.
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Prior to this, the government predicted that PPE obtained under the deal, valued around £85 million, would not be used.
Since its purchase, the BBC report claimed, at least £100 million more in public funds have been used for the storage and destruction of the surplus stock.
“We do not recognise the £1.4 billion quoted. Our position on PPE stock is set out in the department’s annual accounts as audited by the National Audit Office," a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said.
Amounts spent on PPE of £13.6 billion were written off, according to DHSC records shared in January. This was because some items were not fit or damaged, while others would not be utilised before they expired.
The government intends to get rid of "nearly all" of the PPE gear that is now kept in warehouses and containers, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) accountability report.
(With inputs from agencies)
