140,000 gowns on the way for frontline healthcare staff

The shipment has been inspected and is being delivered to hospitals.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“We’re working night and day to get PPE to where it is needed on the frontline of this battle against this virus.

“We continue to receive regular deliveries from suppliers around the world as well as working with companies in the UK to scale up the home grown manufacture of PPE.

“During this global pandemic there has been unprecedented demand for PPE and, whilst we have been frank about the challenges this creates, we are doing everything in our power to meet demand.”

The order, from a usual supplier, was successfully brought forward by the NHS Supply Chain to ensure the NHS has immediate sufficient gown stock available. Further deliveries of gowns and other items from global suppliers are expected over the coming weeks.

Since the start of the outbreak, the Government has delivered nearly a billion pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the frontline, with over 12 million PPE items delivered yesterday to 141 NHS trusts and organisations.

A new website, developed with the help of the military, is being rolled out over the next few weeks to improve distribution and will enable primary, social and community care providers in England to order critical PPE.

This is in addition to a 24-hour helpline that already allows providers to request emergency drops of PPE to meet immediate need.