Health · 14 July 2026
PPE failures put NHS staff at risk, wasted £10bn
Iflaq via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
During the pandemic, insufficient personal protective equipment jeopardized the health of healthcare workers and patients in the National Health Service, leading to the squandering of almost £10 billion in public funds. According to the Covid inquiry, the United Kingdom's emergency supply of personal protective equipment was in a precarious condition and unprepared for worldwide needs. Due to issues with personal protective equipment, £9.9 billion worth of it was deemed worthless because it remained untouched or had expired.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs