PPE failures

SIR – I worked in logistics, focusing on international imports, for major retail clients in Britain.

It is common practice for the manufacturer not to allow shipment until goods are fully paid for. This has resulted in clients having the goods inspected first in the exporting country, by an independent auditor who has full details of the order. Trust is in short supply. Quantities are carefully checked and random samples examined against the original specification – for each shipment.

The order of personal protective equipment from Turkey (report, May 8) has been an almost perfect example of getting every element wrong: an aircraft waiting on the runway on arrival, no export pre-clearance, goods found to be unfit for purpose on delivery. Because payment has been made, obtaining recompense will be a nightmare.

Despite recent NHS supply-chain reviews, this is concerning, given that the organisation buys goods and services worth £27billion annually.

Neil Kerr

Pontrilas, Herefordshire

SIR – Daniel Hannan (Comment, May 3) is quite correct to question public attitudes to the NHS. Why is the Government being blamed for failures of management within the organisation?

Front-line NHS staff are working heroically, but they are having to put their lives at risk because of the mistakes of those who manage them. It would be interesting to see a chart illustrating the structure of the top tiers of the organisation (and the levels of pay there). I suspect it would reveal a shambles.

If the Government is to be blamed for anything, it is the fact that, along with many previous governments, it has failed to overhaul the health service so that is suitable for the 21st century.

Geoffrey Wyartt

Newent, Gloucestershire