An update on the free personal protective equipment scheme

The free personal protective equipment scheme has been extended until 31 March 2024 or until the stocks for COVID-19 supply are depleted

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on NHS Employers

The scheme was first introduced in September 2021 by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The purpose of the scheme is to support the government’s COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 strategy during a challenging period of global inflation and cost of living pressures.  This continued provision of free personal protective equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 will:

• protect frontline healthcare staff, the elderly and vulnerable;
• reduce pressure on the NHS.

The DHSC:

• encourages providers to only order PPE based on current demand;
• will not accept returns of unused or expired PPE.

Order limits will continue to apply and order volumes will be monitored; the DHSC will publish further information about stock-out dates by PPE category (such as when they expect to run out of specific types of PPE) by April 2023. 

The beneficiaries of the PPE scheme are health and social care providers, community pharmacies and public sector organisations providing services as part of the state’s prerogative. The health and social care activities covered by the scheme are:

• NHS trusts;
• general medical practice activities;
• dental practice activities (including orthodontic activities);
• residential care activities (both adult and child);
• social work activities without accommodation (but not including child day care activities which do not involve an element of social care);
• other health activities – specifically, optometry, activities of nurses performed in general practice, including within the community, and activities of dental paramedical personal, such as dental hygienists including, for the avoidance of doubt, hospices.

Additionally, the scheme includes community pharmacies.

Healthcare providers and community pharmacies are eligible if they are remunerated by the state, and adult and child social care providers are always eligible. Finally, the PPE scheme covers public sector organisations providing services as part of the state’s prerogative, such as police services and the prison service.