PPE failures left NHS staff poorly protected and wasted £10bn, Covid inquiry finds

Failures in PPE provision left NHS personnel inadequately protected and resulted in a £10 billion loss, according to findings from the Covid inquiry. The inquiry revealed that a significant portion of taxpayer funds was squandered on PPE, with nearly £10 billion of the £14.9 billion spent by the UK and devolved governments deemed wasted.

The inquiry's chair, Baroness Hallett, noted that the country entered the pandemic with its stockpile of masks, gowns, and gloves in a "perilous state" and was "simply not ready to compete" in the global effort to secure new supplies. She criticized the controversial "VIP lane," which prioritized PPE offers from individuals with political connections, labeling it a "misguided" policy that eroded public trust.

However, she stated there was "no evidence of cronyism or corruption" among ministers or officials in the awarding of the final contracts. When factoring in the costs of home testing kits and other equipment like ventilators, the total government expenditure from January 2020 to June 2022 surpassed £42 billion, the inquiry found.

The UK's emergency PPE stockpile, designed to last at least 15 weeks before replenishment, was nearly depleted by the end of March 2020 due to surging demand from hospitals. The inquiry discovered that only a third of the masks in England's pandemic stockpile were usable, while Scotland lacked high-grade respiratory masks for hospitals. During this period, care homes, GP surgeries, and pharmacies were expected to procure their own PPE, which the report described as a "major failure in planning."

The inquiry highlighted that government contingency plans had "never been stress tested," forcing officials and ministers to improvise and establish new emergency procurement and distribution systems within days. The report concluded that "better planning would have resulted in fairer, faster, and less costly procurement decisions."

Baroness Hallett noted that public trust was "significantly damaged" by the failures in providing PPE and other equipment, undermining the efforts of many officials. In England, a "VIP lane"—officially termed the high priority lane—was created during the pandemic to expedite government PPE contracts. Launched in April 2020, this initiative aimed to prioritize offers for PPE that came with recommendations from ministers, MPs, members of the House of Lords, or other senior officials.

At the time, the government emphasized the "desperate need" to protect health and social care staff, arguing that swift action was necessary to secure healthcare equipment. The inquiry criticized this approach as a "misguided attempt at prioritization" that "embedded unfairness in emergency procurement." Some suppliers received preferential treatment due to their connections with the then Conservative government, which "undermined trust at a moment when it needed it most." The report concluded that "the high priority lane should not have been established and must not be repeated."

Despite this, Baroness Hallett indicated that she did not find evidence of cronyism or corruption among ministers and officials in the awarding of PPE contracts. In February 2025, the inquiry dedicated a day to gathering evidence regarding PPE Medpro, a company associated with businessman Doug Barrowman and his wife, Baroness Michelle Mone. Both Barrowman and Mone have denied any wrongdoing concerning contracts valued at over £200 million.

Baroness Hallett mandated that testimony from senior government officials be conducted behind closed doors to avoid compromising an ongoing criminal investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). A portion of the inquiry's findings related to PPE Medpro was also excluded from the final report and will be published only "following the conclusion of any criminal proceedings." To date, no criminal charges have been filed, with the NCA stating that its "ongoing investigation remains a priority for the agency."

In total, 48 witnesses provided oral evidence for this segment of the inquiry in February and March 2025, including former health secretary Matt Hancock and cabinet minister Michael Gove. The recommendations made include a "radical overhaul" of the emergency system for procuring and distributing PPE before the next pandemic, developing a "domestic industry strategy" that treats essential healthcare equipment as a strategic national asset, and enhancing the state of the pandemic stockpile stored in a large warehouse in Merseyside.