PPE failures left NHS staff poorly protected and wasted £10bn, Covid inquiry finds

The UK Covid Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett, found that NHS staff faced dangerous infection risks due to inadequate PPE supplies while the government wasted approximately £9.9bn (two-thirds of £14.9bn total PPE spending) on unused or outdated equipment between January 2020 and June 2022. The article documents specific failures: England's stockpile contained only one-third usable masks, Scotland had no high-grade respiratory masks, and care homes and GP surgeries were forced to source their own PPE. The reporting is sourced directly from the official inquiry report with named testimony from senior officials including former Health Secretary Matt Hancock; Baroness Hallett explicitly stated she found "no evidence of cronyism or corruption" despite criticizing the "VIP lane" system as "misguided" and unfair. The Guardian's parallel coverage corroborates these findings while emphasizing political connections in contract awards, and the BBC's bylined health reporter (Jim Reed) provides granular detail on write-offs across all four nations (Scotland £8m, Wales £18m, Northern Ireland £43m). Watch for government responses to the inquiry's recommendations for overhauling emergency procurement systems and building domestic PPE manufacturing capacity, as well as the ongoing National Crime Agency investigation into PPE Medpro contracts worth over £200m, which remains active with no charges filed to date.