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PPE Transition

All other ordering of PPE products, non-COVID-19 related, needs to be made via each organisation’s normal ordering process.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s scheme to provide free COVID-19 PPE to health and care providers ends on 31 March 2024, meaning that NHS Supply Chain PPE orders must be made through the Catalogue from 1 April 2024 onwards. The last order date from the Foundry platform will be on
31 March 2024, and the last delivery date will be on 2 April 2024.

Transitioning the PPE supply chain into NHS Supply Chain will help to ensure a single supply chain to manage the future procurement and supply of products. That it meets the needs of the wider health and care sector. Also, to improve supply chain resilience through the incorporation of supply chain excellence best practice.

The resilience of PPE product supply into the NHS has been assured through:  

  • Increased stockholding in NHS Supply Chain warehouses  
  • Improved product availability, removing the need for trusts to stock build 
  • Increased weekly stock cover   
  • Increased number of pallets across all lines  
  • Reduced number of products we offer   
  • Increased delivery service levels. 

Transparent Face Mask Specification

See our Downloads ▼ section for a technical specification that was originally facilitated by the NHS Transparent Face Mask Working Group – brought together by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I).

Free PPE Stock-Out Update

The Department of Health and Social Care has published estimated stock-out dates by PPE category on the GOV.UK website for centrally funded free PPE products.

See our Useful Links section for weekly updates from the government website for PPE Products transitioning between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.

This stock-out date data will be refreshed on a weekly basis by our PPE Demand Planning team, to ensure you have visibility of this information and are kept up to date.

We encourage providers to continue to only order PPE based on current demand, to ensure stock remains available for use where needed. To ensure availability for all customers, orders will be demand managed in line with previous order levels

NHS Supply Chain will continue to work with suppliers to provide replacement products in all categories where the stock depletes. It is also worth noting that potential alternatives to transitioned products may remain in the centrally funded product list, available for order.

As we move through the transition, extensions to product ranges will be made available for you to order. These items will be added to the main product listing and highlighted in yellow.

See our Downloads ▼ section for the current edition of the product list.

Dual Running Categories

Products in the table below will be available to order through Foundry while stocks last as well as via the NHS Supply Chain Catalogue, this table will be updated as required:

CategoryProduct
Exam Gloves: 6NNitrile, XL – Extra Large
Sterile Surgical GownsStandard Lite 20cm | XL-L – Extra Large Long
Standard 50cm | XXL-L – Extra Extra Large Long
Zonal Impervious 200cm | XL – Extra Large
Zonal Impervious 200cm | XL-L – Extra Large Long
Body BagsAdult
CoverallsSmall

Other Healthcare Partners

PPE PortalCommunity, Non-Acute, and Primary Care Healthcare Partners

The PPE Portal is an online platform that was set up originally to distribute PPE to eligible primary care, social care and public sector organisations, free of charge to meet demands that had arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The PPE Portal will continue to provide all registered customers with PPE throughput the transition of the PPE supply chain into NHS Supply Chain.

Any products which remain within centrally funded stock will continue to be available for order via the PPE Portal for free.

Products will move from free to paid, in line with the DHSC’s stock depleting. NHS Supply Chain will make every endeavour to give customers at least 6 weeks’ notice of estimated changeover dates from a product moving from being free to being paid for. 

Once the free PPE stock has been depleted, the same product types will be able to be purchased via the PPE Portal from NHS Supply Chain. Customers will be able to purchase these items using a credit or debit card. We will be accepting VISA and Mastercard cards, but American Express card will not be accepted. 

If customers have an NHS Supply Chain account (current or lapsed), and have previously ordered through the NHS Supply Chain catalogue, they will be eligible to purchase PPE through this platform via invoicing. This can be accessed here .

See our Useful Links section for the gov.uk estimated stock-out dates by each PPE category.

Hospices

If you are a hospice being provided deliveries via the auto replenishment method, please contact Unipart at ppeportal.queries@unipart.com

PPE Transition FAQs

Below are three sections of FAQs based on how your order your PPE products; NHS Trusts (Acute) Customers, Other Healthcare Partners (Non-Acute) Customers and General/Other queries.

NHS Trusts (Acute) Customers

Where is the product listing available for products which have transitioned back into NHS Supply Chain?

See our Downloads section to access the ‘Transitioning PPE Products Product Listing’.
 

What do I need to do to order the PPE products moving from Foundry to NHS Supply Chain?

PPE products which become purchasable via NHS Supply Chain, will need to be ordered the same way you would order any product available through NHS Supply Chain, for example via Online Ordering, eDC etc.

Will all the products moving to NHS Supply Chain be ‘Stocked’ lines?

PPE products which become purchasable via NHS Supply Chain will be available through one of the three normal supply routes; Stocked, Blue Diamond, eDirect

How will my deliveries of PPE ordered through NHS Supply Chain be made?

PPE orders placed via NHS Supply Chain will be delivered as per the products standard supply route.  Stocked and Blue Diamond products will be delivered to your existing NHS Supply Chain delivery locations, on your current preferred delivery day(s) and on your standard delivery media, for example cages or pallets.

Do the FFP3 resilience principles remain mandatory in acute settings?

The FFP3 resilience principles are mandatory in acute settings and are part of EPRR Core Standard 12. Trusts must continue to record their fit test data through ESR. See our Useful Links section to access the NHS England FFP3 resilience principles.

How do I find out the price of each of the transitioning products?

The ‘Transitioning PPE Products Product Listing’ has the available pricing for all relevant PPE Products. See our Downloads section to access this product listing. When products transition across to the NHS Supply Chain catalogue we will also update the relevant Contract Information Pages and related product listings.

Other Healthcare Partners (Non-Acute) Customers

For primary and adult social care customers, will the PPE Portal still be functioning?

The PPE Portal will continue to be an active system used by Social Care, Primary Care and Public Sector providers to receive critical COVID-19 PPE. The PPE Portal will offer free PPE on products with sufficient stock in line with the latest Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announcement.
 
Eligible users can order PPE and related items offered on the portal up to their weekly order limits, which are determined by their user group, sector, and size. Order limits on the PPE Portal are kept under review based on the latest public health guidance, COVID-19 trends, and user feedback.
 
For PPE products where the DHSC stock has been depleted, these products will no longer be available to order for free using order limits, however these will be available to purchase on the PPE Portal via NHS Supply Chain. See our Useful Links for more information on when product categories will transition into a paid model, via the ‘Free Personal Protective Equipment PPE Scheme’.
 

Will I still be able to order items for free on the PPE Portal?

Yes, eligible customers can order critical COVID-19 PPE in line with weekly order limits until March 2024 (or until stocks are depleted). This is in line with the latest Department of Health and Social Care policy.

Will paid products be restricted by order limits?

 No, order limits will be not applied to paid products and there will be no restrictions on purchase quantities.

What PPE Portal payment methods will be available?

As of the 3 April 2023, the PPE Portal will offer a card payment functionality in which users can purchase PPE items using a credit or debit card. Please note, we will be accepting VISA and Mastercard cards, but not AMEX.

If customers have an NHS Supply Chain account (current or lapsed), and have previously ordered through the NHS Supply Chain catalogue, they will be eligible to purchase PPE through this platform via invoicing. This can be accessed here .

Will the PPE Portal offer refunds or exchanges on paid for products?

Due to necessary health and safety precautions, all PPE products are final sale. These items are non-refundable and non-returnable, unless the item purchased is broken or damaged and not of satisfactory quality, whereby we will offer a free replacement order or a refund.
 
If you have any issues or concerns about your product, please contact the PPE Customer Service Team on 0800 876 6802 (open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).

What will the delivery fee be for paid products on the PPE Portal?

Delivery will continue to be free on the PPE Portal for free and paid products.

Will I be able to claim charitable VAT relief on paid products on the PPE Portal?

Yes, if you believe you are eligible to claim charitable VAT relief on your paid purchases on the PPE Portal, from the 3 April 2023, there will be a new section under ‘My Account’ on the PPE Portal, which will allow you to complete a VAT Declaration to declare your eligibility.
 
Please note charitable relief is only applicable on specific products, so please refer to the guidance published on the Portal from the 3 April 2023 to find out more.

General/Other

Will GXO reduce their delivery frequencies further?

GXO reduced their delivery frequencies during the latter stages of 2022; however, this can be revisited as stock depletes and there is less centrally funded PPE being delivered.

What happens if there are future COVID-19 spikes and an increased demand for PPE?

A pandemic preparation meeting would be held with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other executive agencies to agree on actions to take.

What should we do with expired or soon to be expiring stocks of PPE?

Where possible, share via mutual aid it to local trusts, non-acute organisations, hospices, and adult social care providers.

Contact your local authority and see if they have any use for the stock.

Donate as humanitarian aid through charitable organisations – depending on what the stock is, Turkey, Syria and/or Ukraine could have uses for it.  

Send expired the PPE to landfill – the last option as this incurs cost but PPE ordered is that of the responsibility of the customer once received, hence the important requirement for accurate stocktakes to be submitted on a weekly basis.

Should centrally funded (free) PPE products remain in stock onwards of March 2024, what will happen with it?

For stock which has not depleted before April 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care will decide on what to do with this nearer the time and we will communicate to customers on the outcome of this.

Who should we contact if we have any clinical PPE queries?

Please contact Roger Kirkham (roger.kirkham@supplychain.nhs.uk) should you have any clinical queries relating to PPE.

What brands of FFP3 masks will transition to the NHS Supply Chain catalogue?

The majority of FFP3 masks from the Department of Health and Social Care catalogue are on the NHS Supply Chain Single Use PPE framework, so will continue to be available once the free stock has depleted. This includes 3M, GVS, Kolmi, Alpha Solway and Draeger.

Is there any way of getting more specific stock out date specific timescales?

The dates are forecasted and changeable with demand, therefore we will continue to communicate in month only.

Moving ranges incrementally ensures that we will consume as much free PPE as possible before transition.

Do we need to complete demand capture forms for PPE that’s going back on NHS Supply Chain?

No, this is currently not a requirement.

Are all gowns under the new framework?

Gowns made available under the new Single Use PPE and Medical Protective Consumables framework must comply with our internal clinical assurance process. See our Useful Links to access the framework information page for full details of the products and suppliers are available.

Will the fit-testing programme still be funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)?

No, as most trusts now have their own skilled resources available, the DHSC will end central funding of this programme on 31 March 2023. Trusts need to make their own arrangements for fit-testing moving forward.

Who should I contact if I require additional support?

If your question is not answered on this webpage please contact your ICS Manager or Customer Services, as a first point of call.​
 
​For products yet to transition, contact the PPE Customer Services Team via 0800 876 6802, for free PPE queries only (open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday). ​
 
If you have raised a query via PPE Customer Services and still require additional support, please contact one of the following teams:​
 
·       Voice of the Customer team: Host monthly PPE customer engagement panels where you can raise items for discussion and seek additional support from NHS Supply Chain staff. If you would like to express your interesting in attending these, please email: VoiceoftheCustomer@supplychain.nhs.uk. ​
 
·       Foundry support: Foundry.Nationalteam@supplychain.nhs.uk.

Downloads ▼

  • Transitioning PPE Products Product Listing

    An Excel file showing the products transitioning from free to paid PPE. Last updated on 25 March 2024.
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  • Facilitating ICS Mutual Aid Report

    A report showing the Core PPE volume delivered, by trust and by product description.
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  • Mapping Of Trusts PPE Report

    A document detailing the DOH codes for suggested mutual aid trusts.
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  • Transparent Face Mask - Specification

    NHS England document covering the specification for transparent face masks.