Royal College of Pharmacy comments on Covid Inquiry PPE findings
Published: 14 July 2026
Commenting on the findings of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry about personal protective equipment (PPE), President of the Royal College of Pharmacy Tase Oputu said:
“The Government and NHS repeatedly tried to provide reassurance that adequate supplies of PPE were available to the pharmacy profession and that the guidance was robust. This was not the reality experienced by our members and we called for urgent change to reflect the real-world situation.
“The vast majority of frontline pharmacy teams were unable to maintain safe social distancing either from staff or patients and struggled to source PPE to protect themselves, their patients and their families.
“Pharmacies were one of the last places keeping their doors open to the public without an appointment and yet seemingly an afterthought when it came to sourcing PPE for staff.
“It is crucial that we learn lessons ahead of any potential future pandemic and ensure that pharmacy teams across care settings are protected so they can keep looking after patients.”
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