Personal Protective Equipment

WQ.92/2021

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SPOCIAL SERVICES

BY DEPUTY I. GARDINER OF ST. HELIER

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 8th MARCH 2021

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 15th MARCH 2021

Question

Will the Minister advise –

1. how much money was spent on P.P.E. (Personal Protective Equipment) in 2020, with a breakdown by department;
2. how many P.P.E. suppliers were used, and what was the value of goods procured from each;
3. what procurement or tender process, if any, was followed;
4. which Jersey suppliers, if any, were offered an opportunity to supply P.P.E. in the first wave of the pandemic;
5. what is the monetary value of the P.P.E. that was supplied by Government free of charge to nursing and care homes during 2020; and
6. whether or not his department has used Jersey suppliers to replenish P.P.E. stock, as stated in a Freedom of Information response dated 26th October 2020, entitled PPE for nursing and care homes (FOI)'?

Answer

Will the Minister advise –

1. how much money was spent on P.P.E. (Personal Protective Equipment) in 2020, with a breakdown by department;

The amount spent on PPE during 2020 can be summarised as follows:

Medical COVID PPE Purchased for PPE Cell 2020

Aprons - Disposable  £38,483 Coverall  £493,283 FFP3 Masks  £1,380,545 Glasses & Goggles  £42,550 Gloves  £51,293 Gowns - Non Sterile  £377,682 Gowns - Sterile  £893,768 Sanitiser 500ml  £389,600 Sanitiser 50-100ml  £405,000 Sanitiser 5L  £133,987 Surgical Masks  £947,003 Surgical Shields & Visors  £455,151 Wipes  £76,208

£5,684,552

Following the introduction of the PPE Cell in April 2020, departmental spend was minimal as internal organisations were provided with their required levels of PPE from this centralised hub.

Please note that some of this PPE remains in stock and will be used during 2021.

2. how many P.P.E. suppliers were used, and what was the value of goods procured from each;

28 suppliers were used to supply COVID Medical PPE during 2020. The value of goods procured from each is commercially sensitive.

3. what procurement or tender process, if any, was followed;

Supplies were sourced through a number of methods, from existing contracts, a wider approved GoJ supplier network and through the Global Pandemic Cell set up to support the Devolved Authorities, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories by the UK Government enabling wider leverage, significant volumes and turnaround times, coupled with assured supply chains.

The GoJ's exemption process was applied in certain cases during the earlier stages supported by due diligence and supplier integrity checks. The use of exemptions was recorded in line with our Public Finance Manual.

4. which Jersey suppliers, if any, were offered an opportunity to supply P.P.E. in the first wave of the pandemic

All known suppliers were engaged with to ascertain what volume and type of products were available and also how quickly they could source further products – this included recognised on- island suppliers of PPE and those who diversified into the PPE sector in response to the global demand. Orders were subsequently placed with on-island suppliers where the products offered passed the robust quality conformity and assurance checks required for a pandemic response.

5. what is the monetary value of the P.P.E. that was supplied by Government free of charge to nursing and care homes during 2020; and

The monetary value of the PPE supplied to nursing and care homes during 2020 was £1,000,060.

[This is based on an average cost of products purchased throughout 2020 and allows for the various and sometimes significant price fluctuations of certain products.]

6. whether or not his department has used Jersey suppliers to replenish P.P.E. stock, as stated in a Freedom of Information response dated 26th October 2020, entitled PPE for nursing and care homes (FOI)'?

Yes. Following the Ministerial decision to establish PPE stock levels equivalent to 90 Day Worst Case Scenario', a range of sourcing options were considered to secure the required volumes and variety of products. This included engagement with, and purchase from, on-island suppliers.

As we look to replenish items, the availability, quality and affordability of goods offered locally will always be considered and this will include the more established suppliers of PPE and also the small proportion of local businesses which diversified into supplying PPE during 2020.