The sourcing of PPE is being lead by a team being run from the Cabinet Office. PCIAW® and UKFT have fed in a large number of contact details of PCIAW members that can help source PPE at scale.
This information has included the personal email address and mobile number of many CEOs. We have also provided information to the Cabinet Office on the type of PPE available, the quantities, pricing and delivery times. Through UKFT we are in almost daily contact with the Cabinet Office and continue to push our members expertise and knowledge. As well as helping government with the immediate short term supply issue we are also advising government on their plan to develop a longer term robust and resilient supply chain solution.
Again through UKFT we have briefed Lord Deighton, the newly appointed PPE Tsar on the situation, bottlenecks and solutions. We have also provided similar information to a range of Ministers and to the office of Sir Keir Starmer
We have been liaising with the MoD who have been drafted in to help both with procurement and sourcing. And we have been extremely busy briefing the press.
We have been in very close contact with the CBI and are part of their PPE working groups and we are currently trying to setup a group buying consortium to allow smaller, non NHS companies, to access PPE supplies. We have also past on details on PCIAW members to a wide range of NHS Trust, care home providers and other businesses.
We are currently looking at publishing details of members and their capacities and capabilities on both the PCIAW site and the UKFT site but this obviously requires some careful management.
In addition UKFT are working on a number of novel UK based manufacturing solutions and are also in close contact with the industrial laundering sector on making better use of their facilities.
UKFT also continue to provide very detailed briefings to the wider industry on the absolute necessity to ensure all PPE meets the appropriate performance requirements.
Yvette Ashby, CEO of PCIAW® appeared on BBC News and BBC Radio 4 on Friday last week, answering questions on the PPE crisis.
She commented, “The PPE industry is very different to retail and should not be taken lightly. It forms part of the life-saving professional clothing industry and is strictly regulated.”
