Experimental statistics – personal protective equipment distributed for use by health and social care services in England: 31 May to 4 July 2021
Published 13 July 2021
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ppe-distribution-england-31-may-to-4-july-2021/experimental-statistics-personal-protective-equipment-distributed-for-use-by-health-and-social-care-services-in-england-31-may-to-4-july-2021
These statistics show the latest number of personal protective equipment (PPE) items which have been distributed by the government, for use by health and social care services in England.
In publishing this data, we aim to provide a regular summary for ministers, policy makers, external stakeholders and the public on PPE items distributed.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) intends to release these statistics regularly while they remain relevant to the government’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Future updates will be issued monthly on the second Tuesday of each month.
Main points
In the 5 weeks from 31 May to 4 July 2021, DHSC distributed over 982 million PPE items for use by health and social care services in England through the PPE Dedicated Supply Channel, NHS Supply Chain and other routes (see table 1 for more details).
From 25 February 2020 to 4 July 2021, DHSC has distributed over 12.7 billion items of PPE, predominantly for use by health and social care services in England.
This compares with approximately 2.43 billion items distributed between 1 January and 31 December 2019 to all NHS trusts and some social care organisations. This figure is a partial snapshot of the PPE used in the system before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NHS Supply Chain has since been expanded to 58,000 different settings, including care homes, hospices and community care organisations, many of which use the e-Portal to order PPE.
In the 5 weeks from 31 May to 4 July 2021, over 490 million PPE items have been ordered through the e-Portal.
From 9 April 2020 to 4 July 2021, over 3.6 billion PPE items have been ordered through the e-Portal.
Organisations may procure additional PPE independently of the PPE programme. Any additional PPE is not included in this data.
PPE distribution updates
These tables report the PPE distribution since the previous statistics release and as a total since the start of the PPE programme. The cumulative total is reported as a total for the first year of operation (25 February 2020 to 24 February 2021) and a total for the whole period since 25 February 2020.
Table 1: number of PPE items distributed, predominantly for use by health and social care services in England, by item
| PPE item | Latest data (5 weeks from 31 May 2021 to 4 Jul 2021) | Cumulative total (25 Feb 2020 to 4 Jul 2021) | Full year total (25 Feb 2020 to 24 Feb 2021) | Previous year (1 Jan to 31 Dec 2019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aprons | 118,064,000 | 1,748,472,000 | 1,225,366,000 | 161,632,000 |
| Body bags | 6,000 | 328,000 | 301,000 | 85,000 |
| Cleaning equipment | 0 | 81,730,000 | 81,730,000 | 383,663,000 |
| Clinical waste bags | 2,048,000 | 75,523,000 | 66,774,000 | 49,508,000 |
| Clinical waste containers | 0 | 75,000 | 75,000 | 305,000 |
| Coveralls | 11,000 | 1,298,000 | 1,065,000 | 0 |
| Eye protectors | 13,197,000 | 156,780,000 | 102,556,000 | 482,000 |
| Face Mask FFP2 | 41,000 | 12,425,000 | 11,770,000 | 523,000 |
| Face mask FFP3 | 4,632,000 | 106,154,000 | 82,507,000 | 2,810,000 |
| Face mask IIR | 145,411,000 | 1,955,865,000 | 1,249,970,000 | 18,532,000 |
| Face mask other | 0 | 1,087,000 | 1,085,000 | 0 |
| Face mask type II | 758,000 | 31,430,000 | 10,633,000 | 0 |
| Fit test kits | 2,000 | 30,000 | 19,000 | 400 |
| Fit test solutions | 25,000 | 192,000 | 139,000 | 7,000 |
| General purpose detergent | 3,752,000 | 79,883,000 | 65,052,000 | 37,700,000 |
| Gloves | 675,119,000 | 8,043,521,000 | 5,492,770,000 | 1,763,164,000 |
| Gowns | 3,585,000 | 54,087,000 | 36,593,000 | 749,000 |
| Hand hygiene | 1,099,000 | 24,244,000 | 19,607,000 | 2,048,000 |
| Paper towels | 0 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | 10,215,000 |
| Swabs | 14,336,000 | 340,129,000 | 289,817,000 | 1,006,000 |
| Other items | 0 | 616,000 | 616,000 | 7,000 |
| Total | 982,086,000 | 12,715,569,000 | 8,740,147,000 | 2,432,435,000 |
The data reported in table 1 includes all types of PPE, items that are critical for infection control[footnote 1] [footnote 2] and a small number of other fast-moving items [footnote 3].
These items were made available through NHS Supply Chain during the COVID-19 pandemic because there was a significant increase in usage.
Some of these items were not available through NHS Supply Chain in 2019.
All numbers in table 1 are rounded to the nearest thousand, unless they’re less than one thousand in which case they’re rounded to the nearest hundred. Due to rounding, the table totals may not equal the sum of the columns.
Due to a reporting error between 10 April to 12 April (inclusive) the number of body bags distributed were over-reported by 19,500 units. This has now beeen corrected. Previous published reports will still reflect the over-reported figure.
Unless specified, all items are counted individually. In particular:
- gloves are counted singly, not as pairs, and are delivered as boxes of 200 items. Clinical procedures may use 1, 2 or 4 gloves at a time
- hand hygiene products are counted per bottle (or similar) regardless of capacity, so that a 100ml bottle counts the same as a 1 litre bottle. Hand hygiene products include hand wash and alcohol-based hand sanitiser
- paper towels are counted in sleeves of 250 single sheets
PPE distributed by distribution channel
The PPE programme distributes some PPE directly, such as to NHS hospitals. Alternative distribution channels are available for other sectors in health and social care, particularly when PPE requirements are smaller. The total statistics reported include PPE delivered using all these channels, which include:
- local resilience forums (LRFs). These enabled the local distribution of PPE. They are still active in many areas but have been replaced by local authorities in some parts of England
- local authorities. In areas where the LRFs stood down on 14 September 2020, the local authority has taken responsibility for distribution of PPE
- designated wholesalers were able to source PPE from the programme for onward distribution. Each wholesaler typically supports a given group of care providers such as GPs, social care providers, community pharmacies, or dentists. Data about wholesalers has been reported by the date of delivery to the wholesaler, and has not changed since 24 January 2021
- the e-Portal. This is an online ordering system which is a part of the PPE programme, described in greater detail below
Table 2: number of PPE items distributed using the channels described
| Distribution channel | Total number of items of PPE from 25 Feb 2020 to 4 Jul 2021, at least |
|---|---|
| LRF | 315 million |
| Local authorities | 143 million |
| Wholesalers serving GPs | 40 million |
| Wholesalers serving adult social care | 258 million |
| Wholesalers serving community pharmacies | 1.2 million |
| Wholesalers serving dentists | 38 million |
| Wholesalers total | 337 million |
| e-Portal | 3.6 billion |
PPE distribution by sector
Distribution by the e-Portal
The e-Portal provides PPE to non-acute settings, predominantly primary care and social care providers. An eligible user is invited to register an account on the e-Portal and is then able to order PPE regularly, up to a given limit, using that account.
The e-Portal started operating in April 2020 and by the end of June 2020 the majority of eligible GPs and smaller adult social care providers (both domiciliary and residential) were able to register on the e-Portal.
From August 2020, further sectors in both primary care and social care were invited to register.
Since September 2020 changes include registration of a broader range of sectors, making more types of PPE available using the e-Portal, and adjusting the order limits on accounts - for example to reflect updated government guidance on PPE use.
Since June 2021, a limited number of other governments departments (OGDs) have been invited to register on the e-Portal, including the Home Office, the Police Force and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Since July 2021, Local authorities and LRFs have also been invited to register.
The total amount of PPE which is provided through the e-Portal will be influenced by both the number of accounts registered and the amount which each account orders.
Registration is voluntary: on 4 July 2021, there were 52,679 providers registered on the e-Portal, out of 59,651 invited to register.
Registration on the e-Portal includes information about each account holder. Table 3 reports the sector of the account holder for PPE items ordered on the e-Portal since the previous statistics release, and the total since the first order on the e-Portal, on 9 April 2020.
Table 3: number of PPE items ordered using the e-Portal, by sector
| Sector | Latest data: PPE items ordered (5 weeks from 31 May to 4 Jul 2021) | Total PPE items ordered (9 Apr 2020 to 4 Jul 2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult domiciliary care | 160,013,000 | 1,175,139,000 |
| Adult residential care | 231,897,000 | 1,675,220,000 |
| Children’s homes | 343,000 | 3,367,000 |
| Children’s residential special school | 490,000 | 2,678,000 |
| Dentists and orthodontists | 67,531,000 | 473,921,000 |
| Drug and alcohol services (Community and Residential) | 345,000 | 3,006,000 |
| GPs | 19,280,000 | 179,461,000 |
| Local authorities and LRFs | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| Other government departments | 59,000 | 59,000 |
| Optometrists | 5,543,000 | 40,380,000 |
| Pharmacies | 4,260,000 | 38,079,000 |
| Umbrella organisations | 1,032,000 | 9,512,000 |
| Other | 800 | 33,000 |
| Total | 490,799,000 | 3,600,859,000 |
All numbers in table 3 are rounded to the nearest thousand therefore the totals may not equal the sum of the columns.
Umbrella organisations are predominantly adult domiciliary care or adult residential care. The category ‘other’ includes orders where the sector of the account holder is not noted. We are working to improve these classifications where possible.
The e-Portal makes available a selection of types of PPE. The total orders of PPE by sector and by item type, are included in the accompanying tables. The distribution of PPE via the e-Portal will not represent the total PPE provided to a sector through the lifetime of the programme.
Organisations which join the e-Portal are likely to have previously procured PPE using other distribution channels.
Organisations may also procure PPE independently of the PPE programme. Any additional PPE is not included in this data, which shows only the PPE ordered using the e-Portal.
Distribution to other sectors
PPE has been supplied predominantly for use by health and social care services in England. A small amount has been made available to other sectors, including:
- over 40 million items of PPE to public services overseen by other government departments and organisations. This includes PPE distributed to Public Health England, MOD Medical Service, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Ministry of Justice
- over 13 million items of PPE provided to the devolved administrations between April and June 2020.[footnote 4] This data has been ratified by the devolved administrations
- a small proportion of items distributed to Crown Dependencies
Measuring the data
How the data was collected
The data was collected from management information provided by Supply Chain Coordination Limited (NHS Supply Chain) since 25 February 2020. DHSC receives this data daily from NHS Supply Chain which, since April 2020, have been compiled by Clipper Logistics, who have distributed all PPE since April 2020.
Prior to April 2020 some items were distributed from the NHS Supply Chain Regional Distribution Centres. Since April 2020 all products are distributed by Clipper and pass through a central warehouse in Daventry before delivery.
Data for the whole programme is reported by the date of delivery, which covers all PPE items delivered within a 24-hour window from 2am on the date in question up to 2am the next day. Some organisations subsequently further distribute the PPE. For these organisations, the date used is the date of delivery from DHSC to the organisation and not the date of subsequent delivery to the end user.
Items are sometimes recalled, such as when they are faulty or do not meet set criteria. The figures presented are a combination of the number of PPE items distributed minus those recalled and credits for stock that was processed through the system but unfulfilled.
Consequently, some days have negative delivery of items. Some items which have been recalled may still feature in the data as they are yet to be removed.
The data is not a measure of PPE use as some items may not be used, while reusable items may be used multiple times.
Clipper Logistics deliver PPE from the main PPE warehouses to the e-Portal warehouses, from which the e-Portal team process the e-Portal orders before delivery.
The total delivery data from Clipper reports items by the date of delivery to the e-Portal warehouses.
In contrast, the e-Portal data uses the calendar date the order was placed on the e-Portal. Care should be taken when interpreting the relative dates of Clipper delivery and e-Portal order.
The figures in this bulletin may differ from those previously quoted due to differences in start date and inclusion of items in the definition of PPE.
Coverage
The data covers PPE distributed predominantly for use by health and social care services in England.
The data includes deliveries from the PPE Dedicated Supply Channel to organisations such as NHS trusts, National Supply Distribution Response, local resilience forums, local authorities and wholesalers for onward distribution and use by health and social care providers and other users of the e-Portal.
These organisations may also procure PPE through other routes, so this data does not constitute all PPE available to NHS trusts, social care and primary care providers.
Quality
These statistics have been put together by the Department for Health and Social Care with advice from NHS Supply Chain and the Office for National Statistics on this approach.
More information on quality and how this publication adheres to the Code of Practice for Statistics is available in the statement of compliance.
Future development
DHSC intends to release these statistics regularly while they remain relevant to the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future updates will be issued monthly on the second Tuesday of each month.
The timeline below provides an indication of key developments in DHSC’s understanding of this data.
Table 4: key dates in DHSC’s reporting of PPE deliveries data
| Date range | Developments in data understanding |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2020 to 24 Feb 2020 | Data on these deliveries was collected on an ad hoc basis. Data quality is uncertain |
| 25 Feb 2020 | Introduction of the current reporting system for data on distributions of PPE. |
| 25 Feb 2020 to Jun 2020 | Regular and rigorous quality checks are implemented as understanding of the data grows. Timeliness of the data improves as frequency of updates increases to 7 days per week. |
| 30 Jun 2020 | Publication of the DHSC’s first experimental statistics on distributions of PPE. High-level data is now well understood and is subject to regular and rigorous quality checks. |
| 7 Feb 2021 | Reporting of LRF and local authority PPE distribution data was updated to include ad hoc deliveries, and deliveries to the London LRF from 14 September 2020. |
| 8 Jun 2021 | Publication of the PPE deliveries statistics moved from a weekly schedule to a monthly schedule, on the second Tuesday of the month. |
| 8 Jun 2021 | Publication of the first experimental statistics about orders on the e-Portal. This includes the number of registrations and the sector of the user. Data from the e-Portal are reported by the e-Portal order date. Accompanying tables include the breakdown of e-Portal orders by item type and sector. |
| Future developments | Depending on interest and demand, we will review the frequency of updates and consider releasing more detailed iterations of these experimental statistics. |
Experimental statistics
Given the commitment of DHSC to be open and transparent with the public it serves, this data is being released as experimental statistics. DHSC has received requests for data on the distribution of PPE, such as Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests and other queries.
This data is experimental statistics that are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed. These figures have not been used for statistical purposes before.
Find out more about experimental statistics from the Governmental Statistics Service (GSS).
For feedback and questions about the release, please contact [email protected].
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Details of face mask types are as follows: FFP2 face masks have a minimum of 94% filtration percentage and a maximum of 8% leakage to the inside. FFP3 face masks have a minimum filtration of 99% and a maximum leakage of 2% to the inside. Type IIR face masks are medical face masks made up of a 4-ply construction and include a splash resistant layer to protect against blood and other bodily fluids. Other face masks include all other types of face masks and face masks awaiting categorisation. Some of these may be categorised as either FFP2, FFP3, IIR or type II in subsequent publications of this data. ↩
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Items that are critical for infection control include cleaning equipment, coveralls, detergents, hand hygiene products, paper towels and swabs. ↩
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Other items distributed at irregular intervals in small volumes include fast-moving items that have been requested such as surgical caps, overshoes, oximeters and transparent face masks. These are not included in the COVID-19 PPE guidance. ↩
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Data on PPE distributed in Wales has been published by the Welsh Government. Data on PPE distributed in Scotland has been published by the Scottish Government. Data on PPE distributed in Northern Ireland has been published by the Health and Social Care Northern Ireland Business Services Organisation. ↩