We've got a massive shortage of ppe equipment

The NHS simply can't get it

Yet while bored a couple of hours ago I found myself on a site that sells medical equipment to the industry.

In my basket I had
3500 visors
4000 face masks
1000 boxes of gloves
And 1000 boxes of disposable aprons

Obviously I deleted them out of the basket but these were all available to buy and in stock at about 8am this morning.

What's going on there then? Surely if it exists and it's in the UK it shouldn't just be sat there available to buy

 

Who’s the Company?

 

Its probably the sub standard ***** that can't be used.

 

It was something that started Medi if that helps?
And from what I could work out they were proper medical grade equipment and suppliers to the nhs

 

Know of Mediworld & Medipost but both are out of stock on most stuff, so won’t be them, if you can remember let me know please?

 

Just checked my history and it's medisave

 

The equipment is available in huge numbers and so Matt Hancock should say why the offer isn't being taken up.

 

Thanks,
I know absolutely nothing about aprons, visors etc, but can confirm the gloves that would be suitable are out of stock on this site, having had a quick look(not checked every section).
The Polco and Aurelia ones are the same manufacturers we deal with and are the same ones whom have had all their stock redirected straight from source to the NHS as of a couple of weeks ago.

 

A very reliable source

 

Doctors and nurses should not be treating anyone without the correct PPE equipment. The ill should not be seen until the medics have what they need in terms of protective gear. They should not be asked or coereced to continually operate in an exposed fashion. Dead staff can't help anyone.

 

There were some available this morning that I think we're the correct type. No idea why unless their website had a glitch

 

"Three hundred thousand and thirty four, nine hundred and seventy four thousand."

 

This is one of the issues the NHS currently face, lots of good willed people are donating from their businesses etc to help out but a lot of the gear is not appropriate.

 

It’s more than feasible that’s correct, but their supplier currently have no stock now. I got an email on Thursday from the importer of these confirming they still had gloves being delivered but all were still being diverted to the government and there would be no change for the foreseeable future.

 

Its not quite as simple as calling up dialamask and ordering a couple of trade packs.

Firstly, look where the vast majority of this equipment is made. The far east.

One of the biggest sources for the latex gloves is Malaysia. A company called 'Top Glove' i beleive are the worlds biggest supplier.
Now latex is a natural material so given the demand this is going to start hitting productivity. Ever rubber substitutes have a raw starting product of rubber.

Compound this with labour shortages....

Then look at facemasks and other PPE.

The biggest supplier is China. China shuts down to celebrate the new year. This was then compounded with the Chinese lockdown which leads to a greater delay in the manufacturing process.

Outside of China you are looking at the next biggest providers.. Pakistan and India. Both of whom are on lockdown reducing the available labour pools.

Then you are looking at lead times from manufacturing to arriving in the UK.
Typically 4 weeks to complete an order and the same to ship by sea.

Shipping by airfreight has traditionally been piggy backed on passenger flights. Which as youve seen have been curtailed barring the odd supply run.

So at best working at over capacity you are still looking at a lengthy turnaround.

You then take into consideration who wants PPE. Every nation.

Given there is no requirement for the PPE companies to solely supply the NHS and the current demand it has created a bidding war with customers outbiding each other and the supploes going to the higrst bidder.

Alongside this you have countries that are refusing to release orders to other countries see usa/germany or france/uk.

Meanwhile back in the UK...

There is no centralised ordering system for the NHS. Each CCG/trust is its own fifed8om responsible for its own procurement.

This is why some were more prepared than others.

Also, the procurement/tendering process is a bureaucratic nightmare which just compounds the above.

Theres also the logistics nightmare once the PPE has arrived.

Each trust can request/order as much PPE as required regardless of need and with the panic caused over this virus double bagging bodies as if they were dealing with Ebola so leaving themselves short quickley.

One of the reasons last week there was a shortage was due to trusts rebalancing stocks.

Theres also alot of annecdotale evidence that suggesting that staff who are not on the 'frontline'and therefore do not require PPE have been getting access to the stocks before frontline staff get whats required.

Along with deliveries of PPE being turned away due to the Stores being closed and unable to receive these.

Its very much Lions lead by Donkeys at times.

 

There are countless companies who stepped up and offered PPE supplies to the Govt but never even had the courtesy of a call-back or replies to emails. How this govt have dealt with this crisis is tantamount to genocide, but no doubt we’ll be told to ‘move on’ and look to Britain’s ‘bright future’ with battler Boris leading us heroically out of trouble. The f**kwits who put them into office will, predictably, hungrily devour every word.

 

The shortages are in the specific gowns and FFP3 fitted masks that are required for aerosol generating procedures. I can't speak for every organisation but we've not had shortages in the items that you've listed.

Of all the many offers of help I've come across there have been no credible ones in the two items that I've mentioned. But the Government has surely been negligent in not re-purposing UK industry onto these items about six to eight weeks ago.

PPE is distributed on a 'push' basis centrally by the Government's contractor from the national stockpile, based on the number of cases each Trust is dealing with. Part of the problem is the Government's contractor has not been very good and main issue is that the Government has failed to stockpile and procure sufficient gowns and FFP3 masks. No Trust is rebalancing stocks in these two items, all are living day to day as there simply aren't enough in the country.

Tendering rules have been relaxed or suspended in most cases and most procurement in normal times is off frameworks or through national hubs.
Trusts are forced to pay millions of pounds a year each to centrallised procurement hubs set up by the Lansley/Carter reforms which are proving spectacular failures.

This may well have happened in some cases but our experience is that we have Stores open to receive 24/7 and are often let down by the contractor, Clipper.

 

No it's not.

 

My comment was a little tongue in cheek made after hearing about the stuff we bought from China. It sounds like there is a big shipment coming from Turkey tomorrow. Surely it's not beyond our skillset to start making our own on an industrial scale.