PPE Dedicated Supply Channel

Community Healthcare Partners

The urgent need to provide more capacity to deliver PPE products to our wider community providers, including care homes, home care providers and hospices is recognised.

A solution to meet this demand has been created for social care and primary care providers.

PPE Portal

The Department of Health and Social Care, partnered with eBay, Clipper Logistics and Royal Mail, have developed the PPE portal. It is a way for social care and primary care providers to order and receive critical COVID-19 PPE. All PPE offered on the portal meets UK Government quality standards.

The PPE portal is currently being rolled out to GPs and small residential (24 beds) social care providers. Only those who have received an email invitation to register will be able to login and place an order.

Ordering

Invited customers will be able to place an order (up to the limits on the site) once per week.

Orders are being managed in line with PHE guidance once per week and are shipped directly via Royal Mail within 2-3 days.

Continue to use your current methods of obtaining PPE before turning to the PPE Portal. The PPE Portal is an emergency top-up route.

Until you receive an invitation to the PPE Portal, please continue to order PPE through your regular ordering channels.

  • All providers should continue to order PPE from their wholesalers. This includes Primary, Adult Social Care, Dentists, Pharmacies, Third Sector, Adult Care Homes and Hospices.
  • Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) can support GPs and social care providers to access PPE. LRFs have been supplied with PPE according to local needs.
  • We are continuing to review all PPE arrangements. To ensure all healthcare providers with a clinical need for PPE can access the necessary equipment.

Additional information on the PPE portal is available on the gov.uk website.

GPs (Sales in to GPs only)
DCC Vital (Williams)
Phoenix

Social Care (Sales in Care Homes, Home Care Providers and Hospices only)
DeliverNet
Blueleaf
Careshop
Countrywide
Gompols
Nexon
Wightman and Parrish

Still cannot access PPE

Providers awaiting a PPE Portal invite who need emergency PPE supplies can continue to contact the NSDR 24/7 hotline on 0800 915 9964.

Before calling the NSDR 24/7 hotline, please ensure you have:

  • Followed your usual BAU procedures which may include wholesale provision (listed)
  • Contacted your local trusts or health organisations for mutual aid
  • Contacted your Local Resilience Forums (LRF).

N.B. Only if the LRF is unable to meet your urgent PPE needs and you do not have a PPE Portal invite, should you contact the NSDR 24/7 hotline.

When contacting the NSDR 24/7 hotline, please have the following details to hand:

  • Name, email and telephone number of the requestor.
  • Name, email and telephone number of a contact for the next 24 hours (e.g. out of hours cover if the original requestor will be unavailable).
  • Delivery address, including postcode and named contact for receiving deliveries.
  • Confirmation that your organisation is able to receive the delivery outside of normal business hours.
  • Number of COVID-19 patients being treated (confirmed and suspected).
  • Number of beds in your organisation (if appropriate).
  • How long your current PPE stock provides cover for (e.g. <24 hours; 1-2 days, or more than 2 days).
  • Which products you are requesting and in what quantity.