Coronavirus: New PPE ‘tsar’ hired as 84 tonnes of supplies flown from Turkey to UK

A delivery of desperately needed personal protective equipment for front line NHS staff is arriving in the UK, as the government faces growing criticism over shortages and its handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Amid claims that the lives of doctors, nurses and patients are at risk from coronavirus because some supplies are running out this weekend, 84 tonnes of PPE – including 400,000 surgical gowns – are arriving from Turkey.

Meanwhile, a plane carrying about 10 million face masks and other vital pieces of PPE has landed in Scotland after taking off from China.

The deliveries coincide with the appointment of former London Olympics chief executive and Treasury minister Paul Deighton to lead a national effort to produce more essential PPE for front line health and social care staff treating those with COVID-19.

Ministers are comparing his appointment to that of Daily Express proprietor Lord Beaverbrook as minister of aircraft production by Winston Churchill on the eve of the Battle of Britain in May 1940 to galvanise the output of fighter planes.

Announcing the PPE delivery from Turkey on Saturday, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Demand is extremely high and quantities are in huge demand internationally but we will continue to work as hard as we can.

“Those healthcare workers who are on the front line again should know that we completely understand their anxiety and we are doing all we can to try and get them the equipment that they need as quickly as possible.”

Ministers accept that the PPE delivery from Turkey is only a short-term emergency measure – and Lord Deighton’s task will be to spearhead moves to accelerate the manufacture of PPE in the UK in the longer term.

A former banker with Goldman Sachs, Tory peer Lord Deighton was chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and was then a Treasury minister in David Cameron’s government from January 2013 to May 2015.

According to the government, the new PPE “tsar” will coordinate design of equipment through to manufacture, including streamlining the approvals and procurement process to ensure supplies are rapidly approved and get to where they are needed.

The government claims this programme will start to deliver supplies in the next week. Lord Deighton will also support the scaling up of engineering efforts for smaller companies capable of contributing to the wider supply chain.

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Announcing Lord Deighton’s appointment, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Our response to this global pandemic demands a national effort.

“Manufacturers big and small are already responding to the challenge but we must go further and faster. I am determined to do everything I can to get more protective equipment to the NHS staff who are fighting this virus on the front line.

“Just as Lord Beaverbrook spearheaded the wartime efforts on aircraft production, the appointment of Lord Deighton will bring renewed drive and focus to coordinate this unprecedented peacetime challenge.

“Lord Deighton led the delivery of the Olympics. Now he will lead a singular and relentless focus on PPE as the country’s top manufacturing priority, with the full weight of the government behind him.”

Responding to his appointment, Lord Deighton said: “Countries around the world face unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment and this necessitates an equally unprecedented domestic manufacturing response.

“I look forward to bringing together new partners in the pursuit of this single goal: to get our dedicated front line workers the essential equipment they need.

“This effort calls for exceptional teamwork and I am confident that we, together, will rise to this challenge.”

As part of the national effort to focus the UK’s manufacturing industry on this immediate challenge, the government says it has issued a “call to arms” for industry partners to make essential PPE that meets the required technical specifications.

Companies such as Burberry, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Ineos and Diageo have already started work to produce equipment including gowns, visors and hand hygiene products.

The government says it is working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider NHS the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak. As of 16 April, it claims almost one billion pieces of PPE have been delivered nationwide.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: New PPE ‘tsar’ hired as 84 tonnes of supplies flown from Turkey to UK