Simple mistakes were made in procurement of PPE at start of crisis, says Hull-based Arco

Hull-based Arco said it was among a number of suppliers which were unable to supply PPE to frontline workers, despite holding large amounts of stock.

The company – which has 135 years of experience in keeping people safe at work – has submitted a report which it believes will prevent a repeat of the problems that were seen during the first wave of the crisis. Arco hopes its report will ensure the country is better protected in any future pandemic.

In a statement, Arco said: “The first stage of the crisis saw a severe global shortage of PPE at a time of exceptional demand and a poor centrally coordinated response. Early in the pandemic there were many examples of a broken supply chain with frontline workers left without critical PPE.

“A number of suppliers, like Arco, were holding stock but unable to work with the Government and its agents to supply PPE where it was needed the most.”

The statement added: “More recently, a National Audit Office Report has highlighted examples of PPE supply contracts being awarded opaquely to organisations with no history of PPE manufacture and supply, who were ultimately unable to fulfil orders.

“In some cases, non-compliant products were supplied that increased the risks to the public, care home staff and NHS workers. Much money was spent unnecessarily.”

David Evison, the managing director of Arco, said he had concerns that the Government may not have imposed the most stringent standards for PPE procurement in response to the pandemic.

He added: “High standards are vital, It’s like an MOT for a car. We have lots of experience in this area, for example we provided specialist PPE, including gowns and face shields gowns in the Ebola crisis.

“We have had three relatively small Government contracts for sanitisers and face shields. Contracts were awarded to companies that did not have the history or expertise that we have.”

Arco has submitted a set of recommendations for Govenment based on its experiences during 2020.

Arco is calling for a registration of competent PPE suppliers to be allowed to supply products, ensuring product compliance and quality.

The company is also calling on the Department of Health and Social Care to conduct a thorough review and stress test of its systems from the perspective of suppliers and buyers.

Arco is also recommending that the Government’s purchasing portal should be reformed to screen out unsuitable, or unqualified, companies.

It also calls for an education programme to upskill NHS Trusts, local authorities and care home procurement officers in how to understand PPE standards and source and purchase suitable equipment.

The Government should also publish a roadmap for the full reimplementation of the PPE regulations, to reduce the likelihood of poor quality or ineffective products entering the UK, Arco’s report states

Emma Hardy, the Labour MP for Hull West and Hessle, sent a letter to the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, Julia Lopez MP, urging the Government to give the Arco report and its findings proper consideration.

Thomas Martin, Arco’s chairman said: ‘”2020 will be a year that none of us forget. It has been a year of sadness and uncertainty for so many people. Our core purpose is to help keep people safe and we responded immediately the pandemic was declared, working 24/7 to help make sure those at the frontline of the response were properly protected.

“From the outset, we were both frustrated with the procurement system and deeply concerned by some of the simple mistakes made across the UK through a lack of experience of procuring the PPE needed.

“The NAO report and findings very much reflect this experience. As an established safety business, we feel it’s our duty to report on our experiences and to support the Government in continuing to help deal with the pandemic.

“We urge the Government to act on our recommendations to ensure we can all be better prepared for any future emergencies.”

Hull-based Arco has been at the forefront of the response to most significant recent global emergencies, including the SARS and Ebola outbreaks.

In a statement, Arco said: “When the Covid-19 pandemic was declared in the UK, the company played a key role in the response, navigating the global supply chain restrictions that led to an international shortage of certain types of PPE.

“Arco’s product and supply chain specialists worked quickly to source, procure and distribute over 140 million face masks, 18 million gloves, more than 50,000 coveralls and five million hygiene products to the NHS, ambulance services, other public health bodies, local authorities and critical industries.”

A Department of Health and Social Care Spokesperson said: “We have been working tirelessly to deliver more than 5.9 billion items of PPE to the frontline so far, and almost 32 billion items have been ordered to meet the future needs of health and social care staff.

“As set out in our PPE Strategy, we have built a stable and resilient system, including four-month stockpiles to ensure that health and social care sectors have access to PPE to meet future need.

“We received an extraordinary response to our call to action to supply PPE to the frontline and all offers were prioritised based on volume, price, quality and lead time, with proper due diligence carried out on contracts.”

In September, the Government published its PPE strategy which sets out how the UK government is moving beyond the emergency COVID-19 response to stabilise and build resilience, the spokesman added.

The spokesman added: “Four-month stockpiles of items such as face masks, visors and gowns have been in place from November to provide a continuous flow to the frontline, helping to ensure staff always have the equipment they need.”

“We received an extraordinary response to our call to action to supply PPE to the frontline and are hugely grateful to everyone who came forward. To date this has resulted in 15,000 suppliers offering their help and support.

“All offers were prioritised based on volume, price, clinical acceptability and lead time – this is the time from an offer being accepted by DHSC to the supplier delivering those items.

“We rightly prioritised those companies that could provide large volumes of PPE at a fast pace, in order to make sure vital supplies were available to protect frontline workers, but all offers no matter from what channel, went through the same checks and were assessed against the same standards.”

“In April, the Government launched the PPE action plan, setting out clear, decisive actions on securing enough PPE to last through the crisis and ensuring those who need PPE can get the right type at the right time.

“As of November, we have a four-month stockpile of all COVID-critical PPE in place, with a tremendous contribution from UK manufacturers.

The statement added: “There is a huge global demand for PPE, creating a highly competitive market. We are both sourcing and shipping stock from abroad, as well as working with our brilliant British manufacturers.

“All PPE procurement went through the same checks, including quality checks, price controls and other due diligence, and assessed against the same standards.

“The safety of NHS and social care staff is our top priority. Wherever an issue has been found with stock, it has been escalated and actioned as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the National Supply Disruption helpline was available to support any provider that had a shortage as a result of any problems with PPE stock.”

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