‘Supplies have been adequate at all times’

The Scottish Government insisted it acted “quickly and decisively” to expand and strengthen PPE supplies in Scotland from the outset of the pandemic to ensure all frontline health and social care workers had access to kit.

A spokeswoman said: “We have had adequate stock of all forms of PPE supplies for the level of demand at all times.

“Revalidating stock and extending the shelf life of masks is standard practice to maintain pandemic stock levels and this was used in relation to FFP3 respirator stocks as announced in March.

“Any PPE which has been issued to NHS boards which may have passed its original expiry date has been re-tested to ensure it remains safe to use.

“Such testing has been approved and reviewed by the Health and Safety Executive and to standards relevant to the PPE being tested.”

She said prior to Covid-19, National Services Scotland (NSS) supplied around 52,000 FFP3 masks a year, equating to around 1,000 per week. It is now supplying up to 220,000 units per week to health boards.

Boards are now reporting they are holding 1.9 million units to ensure an adequate supply.

She added: “In addition, we have supported many Scottish businesses to innovate and alter their production processes so they can start making key items like masks, gowns and hand sanitiser, making us less reliant on global supply chain, and we also created a dedicated team to secure PPE from abroad that arrived quickly and met our quality standards.”

A spokeswoman for NHS NSS said its national procurement team was involved in multiple urgent discussions with Scottish and UK governments, and NHS staff across the four nations, to assess the availability of PPE at the beginning of the outbreak.

“The decisions, assessments and guidance given during the initial period were based upon the best available information at that time and have been constantly reviewed and updated as updated information has become available,” she said.

“National procurement, supported by Scottish Government, has sourced and supplied more than 320 million items of PPE to date despite the challenges of unprecedented global demand.”