Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his decision to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge to establishments in England registered with the Care Quality Commission, whether he made an assessment of the effect of that policy on businesses supplying PPE prior to taking that decision; and if he will make a statement.
The rationale for the Department’s decision to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge to establishments in England registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is to protect the lives of frontline staff by ensuring a sustainable readily available supply of free PPE for COVID-19 use in line with the clinical guidance.
This decision was informed by a range of data on demand and supply of PPE, including the impact on businesses supplying PPE.