Jersey private care providers' £2.4m PPE bill paid by taxpayers

A freedom of information request (FOI) showed the government provided tax funded PPE to private care providers between April 2020 and the end of 2021

Private care providers received almost £2.5 million worth of taxpayer-funded PPE during the pandemic in Jersey.

An FOI submitted by the BBC revealed how much tax funded personal protective equipment (PPE) the government provided to private care providers between April 2020 and the end of 2021.

It spent more than £1m on surgical masks and a similar amount on gloves for non-government firms.

The government continues to fund PPE for care homes and home care providers.

The FOI did not ask how much money was spent on PPE for staff working at the general hospital or other States-run facilities.

The data showed that in 2020 and 2021, the government gave private organisations 1,519,000 surgical masks worth £1,032,954.

A total of £945,979.60 was spent on 9,957,680 gloves, while 16,264 bottles of sanitiser, in varying sizes, were provided at a cost of £121,856.64.

Amongst other forms of PPE, the States also paid for gowns, wipes and disposable aprons, taking the total bill to £2,482,915.40.

The chairperson of the Jersey Care Federation, which represents the care sector, told BBC Radio Jersey the money needed to be spent "in order to save lives".

Cheryl Kenealy said: "At the end of the day, PPE saves lives and it doesn't make any difference what the cost is for the PPE.

"Obviously, government have got an opportunity of buying in bulk - they can get reduced prices - so the amount of PPE the government is supplying is obviously essential to ensure that the care sector and the vulnerable people that we look after are safeguarded."

She said the costs balanced out: "If you take the cost of an admission per day into the hospital and divide that by the cost of the PPE it would be an absolute fraction of what has been spent on PPE.

"The cost of admissions in to hospital, the cost of lives would have been a lot more expensive."

Officials said the figures were estimates, calculated using an average price for each type of protective equipment, as "the price of individual items varied according to a number of factors including item design and quality, when it was purchased, and supplier."

The government said the free provision of PPE for all Care Homes, Home Care Providers, General Practitioners and Pharmacists is currently running until 31 July 2022, but could be extended further if required.

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