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

Image source, Getty ImagesByJim ReedHealth reporterPublished14 July 2026, 12:01 BSTUpdated 16 minutes agoThe lives of NHS staff and patients were put at risk in the pandemic because of a lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), the Covid inquiry has said.It found that a "vast amount" of taxpayers' money was wasted on PPE - almost £10bn of the £14.9bn spent by the UK and devolved governments.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 race to secure new supplies, added the chair Baroness Hallett.She criticised the controversial "VIP lane", which prioritised offers of PPE from those with political connections, as a "misguided" policy which undermined public confidence.But she said there was "no evidence of cronyism or corruption" by ministers or other officials when awarding the final contracts.When the cost of home testing kits and other equipment, such as ventilators, was included, the total amount spent by the government between January 2020 and June 2022 exceeded £42bn, the inquiry found.The UK's emergency stockpile of PPE, meant to last at least 15 weeks before being replenished, was running out by the end of March 2020 as demand from hospitals soared.Only a third of the masks in England's pandemic stockpile were usable, the inquiry found, while Scotland had no supplies of high-grade respiratory masks used in hospitals.At the time, care homes, GP surgeries and pharmacies were all expected to source their own PPE, something the report described as a "major failure in planning".What is the UK Covid inquiry and how does it work?Published16 AprilCovid inquiry turns to PPE deals and the 'VIP lane'Published3 March 2025Covid inquiry rejects last-minute bid from Michelle MonePublished3 March 2025Government contingency plans had "never been stress tested" and officials and ministers were "forced to improvise, establishing new emergency procurement and distribution systems within days"."Better planning would have resulted in fairer, faster and less costly procurement decisions," the report concluded.Public trust was "significantly damaged" by failures to provide PPE and other equipment and the hard work of many officials was undermined, added Baroness Hallett.VIP lane failuresIn England, a so-called "VIP lane" – officially known as the high priority lane – was set up in the pandemic to award government PPE contracts.Introduced in April 2020, the idea was to treat offers to supply PPE with greater urgency if they came with a recommendation from ministers, MPs, members of the House of Lords, or other senior officials.At the time, the government said there was a "desperate need" to protect health and social care staff, and argued swift action was required to secure healthcare equipment.The inquiry criticised that policy as a "misguided attempt at prioritisation" that "embedded unfairness in emergency procurement".Some suppliers received favourable treatment because they had connections to the then Conservative government which "undermined trust at a moment when it needed it most"."The high priority lane should not have been established and must not be repeated," the report concluded.But Baroness Hallett said she had not identified cronyism or corruption on the part of ministers and officials when PPE contracts were finally awarded.Image source, Getty ImagesPPE Medpro contractsIn February 2025, the inquiry spent a day taking evidence about PPE Medpro, the firm linked to the businessman Doug Barrowman and his wife Baroness Michelle Mone.Both Barrowman and Mone have denied any wrongdoing in relation to those contracts that were worth more than £200m.Baroness Hallett ordered that testimony from senior government officials had to be heard behind closed doors so as not to prejudice an ongoing criminal investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).A section of the inquiry's findings related to PPE Medpro was also removed from the final report and will only be published "following the conclusion of any criminal proceedings".No criminal charges have been brought to date with the NCA saying that its "ongoing investigation remains a priority for the agency".In total, 48 witnesses gave oral evidence for this part 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 buying PPE and distributing it before the next pandemicdrawing up a "domestic industry strategy" which treats key healthcare equipment as a strategic national asset"improving the state of the pandemic stockpile which is held in a giant warehouse in MerseysideRelated topicsHealthCoronavirus public inquiry