Responding to a report from the Public Accounts Committee¹ that found £4bn of unusable PPE bought during the pandemic will have to be destroyed, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said:

“This report illustrates the Government’s completely inadequate preparedness for a pandemic and the resulting chaos that ensued as it scrambled to procure PPE far too late, through unsuitable and untested routes, meaning much of it was unusable, and ultimately, unsafe. In the first wave of the pandemic, shortages, and poor quality and unusable PPE meant doctors and their colleagues were left unprotected, facing the risk of severe disease or death from Covid-19.

“Since then, we’ve heard multiple accounts of faulty, unsuitable or substandard PPE being offered to healthcare workers, now underlined by the fact that the Government is having to destroy an eye-watering £4bn worth of useless kit. This is money that could have been spent funding health services and staff at a time when it’s never been needed more.

“The deadly mismanagement around the supply of PPE is one of the greatest failings of this Government’s handling of the pandemic, when it did not fulfil its very basic duty of care to those who were risking it all for others, and was something that featured heavily in the first two of the BMA’s recent Covid-19 reports².

“Most worryingly, the Government seems not to have learnt lessons, with the PAC highlighting that it has no idea of how large a stockpile it needs to have to prepare for future pandemics, let alone put in measures to ensure it maintains this. This was a key recommendation in our first report, as well as developing plans to scale up supplies if necessary, and it is imperative that these are acted upon immediately so as never to put healthcare workers in such deadly circumstances ever again.”

Ends

Notes to editors

1. For details please contact the Public Accounts Committee at [email protected] / 07917 488489
2. Parts 1 and 2 of the BMA’s Covid review can be found here.

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.