Free PPE for pharmacy teams extended until March 2024
The Government’s scheme providing free personal protective equipment (PPE) to health and care providers, including community pharmacies in England, has been extended for another year.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that it will continue to supply all categories of PPE, free of charge, for frontline health and social care staff according to demand until the end of March 2024, or when stocks run out.
Last year, DHSC implemented a new and improved portal platform for eligible providers to access free COVID-19 related PPE supplies. Community pharmacy teams can continue to order PPE from the NHS PPE portal for free for as long as stock is available.
By the time the scheme closes in March 2024, it is expected that ordering of PPE stock will be significantly reduced and as such any further PPE requests will incur a charge. More information about this will be provided by DHSC in due course.