Free personal protective equipment (PPE) scheme
The provision of free PPE for all health, social care and public sector workers for COVID-19coronavirus (COVID-19) infection control, between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2023.2024.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
The purpose of the scheme is to ensuresupport thatthe healthgovernment’s COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 strategy during a challenging period of global inflation and socialcost careof providersliving havepressures.
The reliablecontinued accessprovision toof thefree PPE needed for goodCOVID-19 infectionwill:
- protect
control,frontlinelimitinghealthcare staff, thespreadelderlyofandCOVID-19.vulnerable - reduce pressure on the NHS
The scheme has been extended tountil 31 March 20232024 or until the NationalDepartment Infectionof PreventionHealth Controland ManualSocial (NIPCM)Care’s guidance(DHSC) stocks for COVID-19 supply are depleted (whichever is withdrawnsooner). We encourage providers to only order PPE based on current demand - DHSC will not accept returns of unused or significantlyexpired amended.PPE. Order limits will continue to apply and order volumes will be monitored.
DHSC will publish further information about stock-out dates by PPE category (when we expect to run out of specific types of PPE) by April 2023.
Last updated
-
Updated to reflect the extension of the free PPE scheme to the end of March 2024 or until DHSC’s stocks are depleted (whichever is sooner).
-
Updated to say that the previous IPC guidance for PPE is now the National Infection Prevention Control Manual (NIPCM) guidance, and the free PPE scheme has been extended until the end of March 2023 or until the NIPCM guidance is withdrawn or significantly amended.
-
First published.
Update history
2024-03-04 13:05
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates: updated ‘Gowns, sterile, surgical gown, zonal impervious ≥ 200cm, extra large (XL)’ from February 2024 to March 2024 and removed: ‘masks, FFP3, Valmy, VR352’ and added it to ‘Out of stock’ list.
2024-02-05 16:17
Updated stock-out dates for: Gloves, nitrile, extra large (XL), 240mm and Gowns, sterile, surgical gown, standard ≥ 50cm, large (L), both to March 2024.
2023-12-22 12:35
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates: updated ‘gloves, nitrile, extra large (XL), 240mm’ to February 2024 and moved ‘hand hygiene, cleanser alcohol hand rub, 50 to 150ml, flip top’ to the list of out-of-stock items.
2023-12-18 10:13
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates; moved ‘masks, type IIR, ties’ to the list of out-of-stock items.
2023-12-04 09:29
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ to move ‘eye protectors, visor’ to the list of out-of-stock items.
2023-11-20 17:20
Added a new item ‘Gowns, sterile, surgical gown, standard lite ≥ 20cm, extra large long (XLL)’ to the attachment ‘Estimated stock out dates by PPE category’. Updated the list of ‘Out of stock items’ to show that the following are now out of stock: ‘gloves, latex’ and ‘gloves, nitrile, extra extra large (XXL), 240mm’.
2023-11-13 17:05
Updated ‘Gowns, sterile, surgical gown, standard high performance ≥ 100cm, extra large long (XLL)’ to March 2024.
2023-11-06 09:37
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-10-30 12:37
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-10-16 15:40
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-10-09 15:50
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-10-02 12:47
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-09-11 11:43
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-08-29 10:37
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-08-21 10:03
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-07-31 16:03
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-07-17 13:16
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-07-03 16:55
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-06-26 14:15
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-06-19 14:58
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-06-12 10:12
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-05-30 14:03
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-05-22 11:53
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-05-15 12:04
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-05-09 13:36
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-05-02 09:39
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-04-24 11:39
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-04-17 10:05
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-04-11 14:27
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-03-27 10:34
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-03-20 10:59
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-03-13 11:39
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-03-07 15:32
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-02-23 09:30
Updated ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’ with current estimates.
2023-02-09 09:30
Updated to add ‘Estimated stock-out dates by PPE category’.
2023-01-10 14:00
Updated to reflect the extension of the free PPE scheme to the end of March 2024 or until DHSC’s stocks are depleted (whichever is sooner).
2022-09-30 11:47
Updated to say that the previous IPC guidance for PPE is now the National Infection Prevention Control Manual (NIPCM) guidance, and the free PPE scheme has been extended until the end of March 2023 or until the NIPCM guidance is withdrawn or significantly amended.
2021-09-30 10:00
First published.