PPE Supply Implementation Project Board minutes: July 2022

Attendees and apologies

Attendees

Scottish Government

• Alan Morrison (Chair) (AM)
• Emma Nycz (EN)
• Graeme Cook (GC)
• Ruth Paterson (RP)
• Frances Mackay (FM)
• Marie Murray (Secretariat) (MM)

NHS NSS National Procurement

• Gordon Beattie (GB)
• Iain Main (IM)
• Matt Thomas (MT)

Apologies

• None

Items and actions

Welcome and open the meeting

AM welcomed members to the meeting and asked IM to introduce himself to the Board. there were no requests to add any extra items to the agenda.

Minutes from 13 June 2022 and actions outstanding

previous minutes were approved, and it was noted that all previous actions were complete

Proposed inbound supply paper

Paper 1 - Proposed inbound supply paper

MT presented the paper and the proposed recommendation for inbound supply to the Board. The Board approved the recommendation. The importance of considering potential PPE pandemic guidance changes alongside the operational supply landscape in the future was also discussed

MT will update the surge capacity paper in line with paper one and keep the Board updated

Essential public services paper

Paper 2 - Essential public services

EN presented the paper to the Board and outlined four broad options available for emergency pandemic PPE supply to the sector. The Board noted the need for proportionality considering the small volumes of PPE used by the sector, and suggested that an option that merged parts of options three and four could be viable

Action: EN to further develop the options for providing emergency pandemic PPE to the sector and propose a recommendation to the Board.

Stockpile access

Paper 3 – Stockpile access paper

FM presented the paper to the Board and asked for any comments for development. The Board noted the need to ensure sufficient business as usual supply to allow for adequate rotation of the stockpile, and the importance of securing commitments in principle to the collaborative procurement arrangements as soon as practical

Action: Implementation Project Team to further consider how forward demand data can be refined for the benefit of the planned stockpile rotation paper.

Feedback from SRG – Civil Contingencies Act

FM provided the Board with a brief outline of the Civil Contingencies Act and its relevance to the collaborative procurement arrangements. The Board noted that opting into the arrangements would be an ideal way for category one responders to ensure they were fulfilling their duties under the Act in regard to PPE preparedness

Action: FM to continue to research how the Act may be utilised, and consider engagement with NHS and local authority civil contingency groups.

Risk register

the highest key risks were discussed by the Board

Timeline amendments

the Board reviewed the implementation project timeline and approved the adjustment of several deliverables to take into account the delay in the consultation analysis and other practicalities.

Date of next meeting

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 8 September 2022

AOB

• the Board were asked to note the decision to use focused stakeholder engagement, rather than formal consultation in relation to sectoral guidance
• the Board will be kept up to date on progress with analysis of consultation on the future supply of pandemic PPE in Scotland responses
• it was agreed that the Board would meet (approximately) every six weeks