The Covid inquiry has released findings examining why National Health Service workers lacked sufficient personal protective equipment when the pandemic began. The investigation scrutinized government planning and procurement processes for critical items including gloves and gowns, which consumed substantial taxpayer resources.
According to the inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett, nearly two-thirds of the £14.9bn total spent by the UK and devolved governments on PPE represented wasteful expenditure, amounting to almost £10 billion in losses. Tens of millions of pounds were additionally spent acquiring equipment that proved unusable. While Hallett acknowledged that purchasing excess PPE during a pandemic was preferable to insufficient supplies, she concluded that closer alignment between procurement and actual demand would have produced fairer, faster, and more economical outcomes. Better preparation involving appropriate planning, information systems, and infrastructure would have enabled more efficient procurement decisions and faster equipment distribution to those requiring it.
The country entered the pandemic with its PPE stockpile in what Hallett described as a “perilous state,” leaving it unprepared to compete effectively in the global market for supplies. Significant portions of existing stock had expired and become unusable. In England, only one-third of masks in the pre-pandemic stockpile remained functional, while Scotland had no supplies of FFP3 masks necessary for healthcare workers. The equipment shortages forced some staff to improvise with alternative materials or reuse protective items.
The inquiry criticized the VIP lane system, introduced in April 2020 in England, which expedited PPE supply offers when accompanied by recommendations from ministers, MPs, House of Lords members, or senior officials. Hallett characterized this approach as a “misguided attempt at prioritisation” that “embedded unfairness in emergency procurement.” While finding no evidence of cronyism or corruption among officials when awarding contracts, she noted the system was inherently biased favoring those with government connections and should never be repeated.
Findings regarding PPE Medpro, a company awarded contracts exceeding £200m following a recommendation by Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone, were excluded from the published report due to an ongoing National Crime Agency criminal investigation. The company was ordered to repay £148m after breaching a surgical gown supply contract, though no charges have been filed against Mone or her husband Doug Barrowman, who both deny wrongdoing.
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