PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Health Services: Protective Clothing (23 March 2020)

Question Asked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the supply of personal protective equipment to (a) primary care facilities and (b) GP staff.

Asked by:
Fleur Anderson (Labour)

Answer

As of 14 April, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak we have delivered over 923 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to 58,000 different health and care settings including National Health Service trusts, general practitioners, pharmacies and community providers. We have provided PPE equipment to over 26,000 care homes including home care and hospices across the country. Over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, over 48 million PPE items have been delivered.

We are working around the clock to give the NHS and the wider social care sector the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak. We have brought together the NHS, industry and the Armed Forces to create a new nationwide PPE distribution network, delivering critical PPE supplies to those who need it.

We have a 24 hours a day, seven days a week helpline for those experiencing supply disruption with business as usual ordering channels. Where there may be any shortages, we act on this immediately. Local Resilience Forums are also supporting care homes, hospices, home care and primary care in getting hold of PPE equipment.


Answered by:
Jo Churchill (Conservative)
28 April 2020

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.