Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that hospices have a reliable supply of personal protective equipment.

The Department recognises the vital services that hospices provide, and are aware of issues they have been facing in obtaining personal protective equipment (PPE). The Department is working on putting a sustainable solution in place to ensure continuity of supply for the hospice sector, which has recently stepped up to take the pressure off the National Health Service as part of a £200 million funding arrangement announced by the Chancellor on 8 April.

To address continuity of supply concerns, central delivery points provided by hospices to the Department will get weekly drops of PPE until they can be added to the PPE e-commerce ordering portal. The Department will continue to work with the hospice sector to ensure they have the support they need during this challenging period.

The Department holds regular calls at Ministerial level with representatives of the hospice sector to better understand the specific issues facing the sector in delivering palliative and end of life care, including PPE supply, during this challenging period.