1/12 I promised an update on personal protection equipment (PPE) distribution given that it’s so central to supporting front line health & care staff effectively. Our real time dialogue with trust CEOs indicates that distribution is now flowing much more effectively to trusts.
2/12 Usual clarification – we are not Government, we are not @NHSEngland we are the voice of the 223 hospital, mental health, community and ambulance trusts. Full details of the basis of on which we comment on coronavirus here: nhsproviders.org/news-blogs/pre….
3/12 Existing trust supply chain overwhelmed by understandable sudden change from stable/predictable demand to everyone wanting lots of PPE immediately. Accessed strategic reserve / Brexit stockpile but delivering so much stock so quickly so widely a massive logistical challenge.
4/12 First stage has been to do an emergency flip from the usual trust “pull” ordering system to proactive “push” deliveries – just getting stock out to trusts as quickly as possible, knowing full well they will need aprons, gowns, gloves, surgical masks, FFP3 masks etc.
5/12 This has largely (but not completely) solved immediate problem for trusts. Unhelpful but understandable complications e.g. impossible in this push to carefully allocate “usual” / consistent single brand of FFP3 mask requiring lot of time consuming frontline mask fit testing.
6/12 But now need to move to a more sustainable long term distribution approach. The pre-existing supply chain is understandably not robust enough to cope with required volumes so a brand new supply chain is effectively being created from scratch in a fortnight.
7/12 Great, speedy, collaborative, work to do this involving @NHSEngland @NHSSupplyChain @DefenceHQ National Supply Disruption Response and commercial logistics companies. One of myriad of examples of new partnerships delivering at unprecedented pace (interesting lesson there!)
8/12 National leaders tell us that this dedicated, PPE only, supply chain for trusts will therefore start operation from the middle of next week. This allows @NHSSupplyChain to concentrate on non PPE supplies which is a huge challenge in itself at the moment.
9/12 Obviously there is concern about PPE distribution beyond trust sector – the thousands of care homes, GP surgeries, voluntary organisations which also need PPE. Totally different logistics dynamic to trusts – much smaller volumes but across very many more organisations.
10/12 @NHSProviders does not represent these organisations. But we understand from national leaders that many of them are not customers of NHS Supply Chain and order their PPE from commercial suppliers who have no stock due to global shortages.
11/12 National leaders tell us they’ve adopted a similar “emergency response first, sustainable longer term solution follows” approach. Emergency response combines push drops and pull orders of pre-packed packs of aprons, gloves, surgical masks from national strategic reserve.
12/12 We understand that a sustainable “e-commerce” solution - register on a website, order via web, deliver – model will be ready by second week of April. In meantime these organisations can order pre-packed packs via national strategic reserve. Contact details attached. 
