The enterprise leader recruited by the UK government to straighten out the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS workers has said that ‘crisis management’ was to be expected during and immediately after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

In an interview with the BBC, Lord Paul Deighton, one of the masterminds behind the London 2012 Olympics, explained that supplies of PPE have now been secured, with 28 million items ordered. Lord Deighton took on the role at the end of April.

During the BBC interview, Lord Deighton claimed: “The early period was one of crisis management…We had long meetings every morning and evening trying to make sure we had precisely the kit coming in that was needed on the frontline next day and that’s not a circumstance you want to find yourself in”

He said that there had been a major issue with staff not feeling safe enough to go to work due to the concerns over the PPE shortages, and the main principle had been to reduce the anxiety of NHS staff so they could return to work, and return to saving lives.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the NHS and social care workers have taken delivery of 2 billion items of PPE since February, including:

  • 341 million masks
  • 313 million aprons
  • 4 million robes
  • 1 billion individual gloves (not paired)

The BBC analysed data from hospitals in April, which suggested they were using between 10 to 16 million items a day. A trust in Lincolnshire, which includes three major hospitals, claims it goes through approximately 73,000 items of PPE per day.

Lord Deighton has now stated that the previous crisis has passed, and the situation is now much more stable, and preparations are being made for any next spike in cases or a new wave of the virus in autumn or winter.

He explained that the PPE crisis had stemmed from a “huge spike in demand and the limited supplies of equipment”, but now all processes were in place to “make us more resilient” in the future.

A key factor in the PPE crisis was the lack of domestic PPE manufacturing, with the vast majority of it coming from abroad, especially China. As British companies rushed to help with the production of essential PPE at the start of the crisis, civil servants found themselves swamped and struggling to single out the credible and feasible offers.

Lord Deighton’s team narrowed the selection down to 30 businesses, offering contracts for long term production.

One of which is a manufacturer of 3D printers based in Peterborough. Within a few weeks they had assembled a production line for face shields and now produce over 300,000 a week. It is estimated that by the end of 2020, 20 per cent of the UK’s PPE needs will be made domestically.

To handle the PPE shortage crisis, Lord Deighton brought in his logistics team from the London 2012 Olympics, as well as officials from the Ministry of Defence to negotiate contracts for the production of over 10 billion items of PPE.

The officials were from a military department called the Defence Equipment and Support, who equips the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Airforce with everything from field kitchens to aircraft to warships. They organised a 270-strong workforce to obtain the required PPE.

While the work headed by Lord Deighton was to find PPE for England only, some, on request, would be made available to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although devolved governments are responsible for their supplies.

There has been assistance from private donors and organisations. The Daily Mail raised £10m through donations to its campaign, MailForce, which has involved three airlifts from China and the delivery of 100 tons of PPE to the NHS and care homes.

The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said it was welcome news that the PPE shortages had been resolved, but she added: “Trust leaders still need assurance that they can guarantee that every frontline health and care worker will receive the PPE they need when they need it.”

A spokesman for the British Clinical Association stated: “As we turn our attention to preventing or combating a second wave, we cannot afford to focus on the just the number of PPE items being supplied.

“We must ensure the right equipment reaches the areas of most need at the right time.”

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