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Government confirms 400,000 Turkish gowns are useless for NHS
Minister Brandon Lewis says much-heralded shipment fell below medical standard
Rowena Mason and Kevin Rawlinson https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/07/government-confirms-400000-turkish-gowns-are-useless-for-nhs
A cabinet minister has confirmed that 400,000 gowns from Turkey to protect medics from coronavirus have been impounded because they were poor quality, but he insisted “strong supplies” were now coming through to the frontline.
The personal protective equipment (PPE) from Turkey was heralded by ministers several weeks ago as “a very significant” shipment that would ease a shortage of gowns in the NHS, but the delivery turned into a shambles after it was repeatedly delayed.
In a final blow to the government, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, acknowledged on Thursday that the gowns had in fact been useless for medical purposes.
“There was a view that it was good enough PPE. It is only when it has got here that teams have looked at it again and taken a view that it is not up to the right standard and they’ve decided not to use it,” he said.
“I think it is right that if we have got particular standards for what we want our frontline staff to be able to have access to we make sure we stick to that.
“If something isn’t right, if we’re not even sure about it then I think it is better to be safe and not use that product and stick with products we are confident are the right products and the right standards.”
Speaking on Sky News, he attempted to downplay the significance of the Turkish shipment, saying it was just one delivery.
“We’ve got some really strong supplies now coming through but we’re always looking to ensure they are good enough,” he said.
However, he was unable to say whether the Department of Health and Social Care would be able to get its money back, and why samples of the equipment were not checked before the transaction happened.
The items are currently being held in a facility near Heathrow airport and sources said the DHSC intended to seek a refund, as it has done in similar situations in the past.
The announcement of the shipment by the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, on 18 April came at a time when unions and professional bodies were warning that NHS staff may refuse to work without PPE.
Jenrick told the daily Downing Street press briefing that healthcare workers should be “assured that we are doing everything we can to correct this issue”, saying they would have the equipment they “need and deserve”.
Sources later told the Guardian that the DHSC had advised No 10 not to allow Jenrick to publicise the shipment in case it backfired, but was overruled.
The necessary clearances, it turned out, had not been sought. When the consignment did not arrive on time as promised, the delay prompted hospital leaders to directly attack the government for the first time during the pandemic.
Ministers responded by saying they thought it may only a one-day delay. Two days later, with the shipment only then beginning to clear Turkish customs checks, they were only able to give an estimate of arrival “in the next few days”.
The first planeload of gowns eventually arrived on 22 April, but the next day it was reported that “less than a 10th” of the order had arrived. Now all are expected to be returned.
Minister Brandon Lewis says much-heralded shipment fell below medical standard
Rowena Mason and Kevin Rawlinson https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/07/government-confirms-400000-turkish-gowns-are-useless-for-nhs
A cabinet minister has confirmed that 400,000 gowns from Turkey to protect medics from coronavirus have been impounded because they were poor quality, but he insisted “strong supplies” were now coming through to the frontline.
The personal protective equipment (PPE) from Turkey was heralded by ministers several weeks ago as “a very significant” shipment that would ease a shortage of gowns in the NHS, but the delivery turned into a shambles after it was repeatedly delayed.
In a final blow to the government, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, acknowledged on Thursday that the gowns had in fact been useless for medical purposes.
“There was a view that it was good enough PPE. It is only when it has got here that teams have looked at it again and taken a view that it is not up to the right standard and they’ve decided not to use it,” he said.
“I think it is right that if we have got particular standards for what we want our frontline staff to be able to have access to we make sure we stick to that.
“If something isn’t right, if we’re not even sure about it then I think it is better to be safe and not use that product and stick with products we are confident are the right products and the right standards.”
Speaking on Sky News, he attempted to downplay the significance of the Turkish shipment, saying it was just one delivery.
“We’ve got some really strong supplies now coming through but we’re always looking to ensure they are good enough,” he said.
However, he was unable to say whether the Department of Health and Social Care would be able to get its money back, and why samples of the equipment were not checked before the transaction happened.
The items are currently being held in a facility near Heathrow airport and sources said the DHSC intended to seek a refund, as it has done in similar situations in the past.
The announcement of the shipment by the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, on 18 April came at a time when unions and professional bodies were warning that NHS staff may refuse to work without PPE.
Jenrick told the daily Downing Street press briefing that healthcare workers should be “assured that we are doing everything we can to correct this issue”, saying they would have the equipment they “need and deserve”.
Sources later told the Guardian that the DHSC had advised No 10 not to allow Jenrick to publicise the shipment in case it backfired, but was overruled.
The necessary clearances, it turned out, had not been sought. When the consignment did not arrive on time as promised, the delay prompted hospital leaders to directly attack the government for the first time during the pandemic.
Ministers responded by saying they thought it may only a one-day delay. Two days later, with the shipment only then beginning to clear Turkish customs checks, they were only able to give an estimate of arrival “in the next few days”.
The first planeload of gowns eventually arrived on 22 April, but the next day it was reported that “less than a 10th” of the order had arrived. Now all are expected to be returned.
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Replies: 100
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NO PPE IN RUSSIA ANY THOUGHTS LADS ???
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Shipping thousands of old folk out of hospital to die of corona virus and not allowing care homes to get them readmitted nor the other victims in care homes who would go on to contract corona
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Using home made computer program to model pandemic outcomes that even Microsoft boffins cannot fux
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Chinese anti body tests as simple to use as pregnancy tests
£20 million spaffed up the wall Boris? |
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grayling hiring ferry companies with no ferries
multi million pound ppe order to a Turkish tee shirt maker, 250 million pound school kids free meals voucher scheme to a company with less than a million turnover last year APP design that doesn't work on 2 yr old phones delloite doing home,mobile testing that's a complete car crash and the tory,s/right wing will continue to tell us private does it best |
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CH4 exposing the out of date PPE the UK had at the start of the pandemic.
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Try booking a shipping container in Istanbul at the moment. Acquaintance of mine was told the earlist slot was 31st May acouple of days ago! Eventually managed to find room on a shipment on the 18th.
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good way to be, JW but there are those (including me) who are i little more voiciferous
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Bap. I cannot engage in political debate. I just do not have an opinion. I know that may sound sad as fcuk but that is the way i see it. Clown departs stage left , clown enters stage right.
 In addition any politician that could make a difference either gets shot or gets shot so there it is. #100%conspiracytheorist but i can laugh a myself as i do realise there is very little i can do personally about anything. just mount a soap box occasionally |
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stay around these shores long enough, JW ye will soon get the drift
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I obviously dont see that as i have no side unless the monster raving loony party have a candidate i dont even vote.
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a political bias
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I do not understand the bad feeling directed against insider trader ?
I do not agree with all he posts but i feel he does it with the best of intentions and i do not feel he is offensive against others. unlike myself |
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@cider.
I sensed you had dug yourself a deep enuff hole and tried to throw you a rope. You chose to hang yourself.... so be it  |
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the Turkish provider just been on bbc and took johnsons advice and threw handjobs letter of complaint into the bin
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Whisperingdeath
07 May 20 11:09 Joined: 25 Dec 11 | Topic/replies: 27,384 | Blogger: Whisperingdeath's blog I am starting to think Cider has taken over Insider Traders profile Cider just for the record could you kindly confirm you are not Insider Trader or his son? You are the only person defending the incompetence of these clowns, even impossible123 tries to kept quiet. Insider Trader like some of the Tory Party is now a committed Socialist. ^ I aint a socialist. I am against science being used for policy when 'scientists' have had their research funded by vested interests. It leads to things like lockdown happening when their was no scientific evidence they would make any difference once the virus is windspread in the community. The 'scientists' know this and that is why they ignore the policies drawn up due to their advise. We need to get vested interests and lobby groups out of government policy. That means no more hedge funds or unions financing politicians. Campaigns need to be funded and limited to a fixed amount out from the Treasury. |
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Just another check in the Apalling Government Handling column. Maybe we should get a few more pics of Baby Boris out to break the narrative.
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@cider
If you think for one minute all of us posting give a flying fcuk about the continual punch and judy show which you refer to as politics then you need a fcuking barrel of the stuff not a crate  |
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Tribes innit.
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Of course you did potlis! |
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Actually I thought Cider was making excellent points
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Get in the net cider. lol
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Another poster with a mythical pit or hole. If you think I need people to agree with me on here, you're sadly mistaken
When they resort to posting about your forum name you can safely conclude to having gained some moderate success ;) |
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@cider.. all i can see here is you digging yourself a bottomless pit which you will never be able to get out of ...
there4 my recommendation is to go and get another crate of strongbow and give your elbows a rest |
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To be fair to Impossible i think he realised the goverment weren't acting in his best interest when they said there was no need to panic buy and he went shopping in a supermarket with empty shelves 2 months ago.
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It's adds a bit of fun and distraction while I'm 'working' to challenge the default loonie leftie majority on online fourms and the like, when the real life majority is categorically demonstrated to be the opposite.
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I am starting to think Cider has taken over Insider Traders profile
Cider just for the record could you kindly confirm you are not Insider Trader or his son? You are the only person defending the incompetence of these clowns, even impossible123 tries to kept quiet. Insider Trader like some of the Tory Party is now a committed Socialist. Are you just making stupid posts' so you can laugh at our indignation or do you really believe anything you post? I have long thought the former for some time I do confess. |
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& i will ask the question again: what have they been using?
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Wasn’t the Government getting some stick, shortly after the PPE arrived, because it only contained 50% of what was ordered, looks like a result now
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aye itmust have been the export license checking; amonst other 'things'
"The plane had been dispatched from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where two other aircraft have been on standby to pick up further supplies from Turkey since late on 20 April. The Department of Health and Social Care was blamed for failing to secure the necessary export approvals from Turkey after placing the order, but health sources said on 22 April that there were other reasons for the delay. The supplier had contacted the NHS on 16 April to say it could make the 400,000 gowns, and the UK placed an order on 17 April, paying a deposit to secure delivery. But almost immediately it was told there was an unexpected manufacturing delay. Originally three RAF transport planes had been on standby to pick up the equipment, but in desperation a single plane was sent to Istanbul on 20 April to pick up whatever was available, finally heading back the following night. The planes remain on standby at RAF Brize Norton and may fly to Istanbul imminently if there is enough equipment waiting to make the journey worthwhile. “We’ve been told there is another delivery at the airport now, but we are not yet sure if there’s enough to justify a flight,” a defence source said. Turkish sources said they had done everything they could to expedite the shipment, but said Britain had not asked for export approval until 19 and 20 April. Like many other countries, Turkey has placed controls on the export of medical equipment in the light of the coronavirus crisis. Meanwhile, in a round of broadcast interviews, Whately failed to explain why offers of PPE sitting in British warehouses were being ignored in many cases, including 16m face masks identified by the Gruniad" |
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Lapsy, we just happen to be picking on this consignment of PPE but taken to its logical conclusion we would need to inspect every shipment so what about ventilators, drugs, etc, thats not coming from our usual suppliers.
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That a was a red flag in itself NE Correspondent,no one else in the world wanted them.
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*bought PPE from
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Wed 22 April
Asked what the hold-up was, the spokesman said: "I don't have the details of the reason for the delay. As I say, we want it to be resolved as quickly as possible and the RAF is able to then bring the cargo back to the UK." |
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If that is the case Bap,it is pure incompetence then, someone sent out checkers which couldn't check.
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think i read the company they bought PPE didnt have an export licence
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I'm not answering questions you already know the answer to Angoose. It's simple really. The ONLY thing they could potentially lose by shipping it over first is money. If you're putting financial considerations in front of public health, I'm really doubting your socialist credentials. Or, probably more accurately you're forgoing your usual moralities to use it as another opportunity to attempt political point scoring.
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