National Services Scotland announces closure of free PPE delivery from March 2024

Community pharmacy contractors will not be able to order PPE from PECOS online ordering portal, but their account will not be suspended

NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) has informed dental, optometric and community pharmacy contractors in the country that the “at no costs” Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which has been made available to them from NHS National Procurement will stop at the end of this financial year.

Paul Cushley, Chair of the National Primary Care PPE Group, has sent a letter to the contractors, stating that the last deliveries of the PPE will be made in March 2024, for items ordered through the PECOS online ordering portal by end of February 2024.

However, the contractors’ PECOS account will not be suspended to provide future opportunities for ordering between contractors and Boards, he said.

The contractors are also informed that any over ordering, above the volume of PPE agreed between them and their Health Board, will lead to immediate termination of both the delivery and their PECOS account.

Paul has asked the contractors to now engage with their commercial supplier of PPE and sundries to discuss their ongoing requirements.

NHS National Procurement, who had previously only supplied PPE to the secondary care sector, extended the service to primary care sector following the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to worldwide increase in demand for PPE.

Later, National Procurement moved from delivering extra PPE to Health Board central stores to a direct “to the door delivery service” to every contractor in every Health Board in Scotland.

NHS reminded the contractors that the removal of access to at no cost PPE is “not a reflection of any significant change in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual.”

They can continue to use the link to access the most up to date version of this guidance regarding their requirements.