 Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money was wasted on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) – and there's an 'alarming' lack of stockpile planning in case of future pandemics. The dire warning comes from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), whose report also criticised the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for 'completely staggering' accounting failings. Those failings mean £3.3 billion in NHS Test and Trace inventory couldn't be identified by proper financial records. The government has 'written off' £14.9 billion of inventory in the last two years – nearly £10 billion of this was unusable or unneeded PPE, Covid medicines and vaccines. The department still pays large amounts to store and dispose of the kit, and it's estimated this will cost £319 million over the next few years. It's also not possible to do a stocktake of existing PPE, the report found, as it would cost £70 million to move and open inaccessible storage containers. The report warns healthcare workers could be exposed to PPE shortages in future as there isn't a clear plan for a national emergency stockpile. PAC chair Dame Meg Hillier said: 'The UKHSA was set up with great fanfare in 2021, and rightly so given the significance of its role in leading protection against threats to our nation's health. Frontline NHS workers had to wear full PPE in Covid wards (Picture: PA) The report found there isn't enough planning for PPE stockpiles for future pandemics (Picture: PA) 'It is completely staggering, then, that an organisation envisaged as a foundation stone of our collective security was established with a leadership hamstrung by a lack of formal governance, and financial controls so poor that billions of pounds in NHS Test and Trace inventory can no longer be properly accounted for. 'It is greatly alarming that there is no clear plan from the government for an emergency stockpile of vaccines, medicines and PPE. 'Three years after the st){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money was wasted on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) – and there’s an ‘alarming’ lack of stockpile planning in case of future pandemics.
The dire warning comes from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), whose report also criticised the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for ‘completely staggering’ accounting failings.
Those failings mean £3.3 billion in NHS Test and Trace inventory couldn’t be identified by proper financial records.
The government has ‘written off’ £14.9 billion of inventory in the last two years – nearly £10 billion of this was unusable or unneeded PPE, Covid medicines and vaccines.