Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Government guidelines on personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers were based on PPE availability.

Public Health England (PHE) has published clear guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for health and social care workers. This was written and reviewed by all four United Kingdom public health bodies and informed by National Health Service infection prevention control experts. It is consistent with World Health Organization guidance PHE has also published guidance on ‘Considerations for acute personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages’. This covers sessional use, reuse and alternatives to standard PPE when there are severe shortages of supply.