Emergency and free PPE requests

Contact a supplier

Please note that currently there is a very high demand for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), with limited stock available. We can only issue National Emergency Stock to those with less than 24 hours' supply.

If you are struggling to get personal protective equipment (PPE) stock from your usual suppliers, please contact the following recommended suppliers:

*For example, community care, home care, hospices

Request emergency PPE

You can request emergency supplies of PPE via West Sussex County Council if:

• your usual supplier cannot supply you
• you have unsuccessfully tried the recommended suppliers listed on the previous page
• you have less than 24 hours supply
• your organisation falls within one of the categories listed below.

Eligible categories

• Adult social care (residential and nursing homes, domiciliary care, personal assistants, supported living and extra care)
• Children’s homes or secure children’s home
• Emergency dentists
• Funeral services
• General practitioners
• Hospices and palliative care
• Local authority (including adults' and children’s social care)
• Mental health community services and adults' social workers
• Mortuaries
• Pharmacies
• Primary care
• Residential special schools.

How to order

Please complete our online form. We will respond to your request as soon as possible, but please note that the mailbox is monitored Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) between 8.30am and 5.00pm.

If you have any questions or need help using the form, please contact our PPE team who will be happy to help: ppe@westsussex.gov.uk.

As there is a very high demand for PPE and limited stocks available we may not be able to provide you with the items that you have requested. Any stocks that are supplied should be viewed as an emergency supply and we recommend that you continue your efforts to procure stocks for your own use through your normal supply lines.

Public Health England clinical guidance

You can find the latest COVID-19 clinical guidance issued by Public Health England via the following GOV.UK hub:

It includes:

• How to work safely in care homes - 27 April 2020 guidance
• Infection prevention and control (IPC) - 3 May 2020 guidance
• Personal protective equipment use for aerosol generating procedures - 10 April 2020 guidance
• Personal protective equipment use for non-aerosol generating procedures.

Request PPE

Free personal protective equipment (PPE) for people providing social care support who are not registered with the Care Quality Commission.

In line with the Government’s PPE Strategy: stabilise and build resilience, West Sussex County Council (WSCC) can now provide free PPE to meet Covid-19 needs for non-registered Care Quality Commission (CQC) health and social care providers or individuals who have a need for PPE.

This could include, but is not limited to:

• direct payment customers employing personal assistants
• Shared Lives Schemes
• homeless service providers
• day services
• hospices
• informal carers.

This arrangement is in place until the end of March 2022.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered providers should access free PPE through the PPE portal.

How to order

Please ensure you read all the information on these web pages and then complete our online form.

Upon receipt of your form, we will confirm your order by email and arrange to send you the PPE quantities required in-line with our delivery times.

We will respond to your request as soon as possible, but please note that the mailbox is monitored Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) between 8.30am and 5.00pm.

If you have any questions or need help using the form, please contact our PPE team who will be happy to help: ppe@westsussex.gov.uk

Order limits

Below is a guide to the monthly order limits for free PPE. These may need to be adjusted if different delivery arrangements are made and may also change depending on the stock availability.

We will continue to provide free PPE until the end of March 2022. Should the Government extend the support for free PPE, we will review these arrangements.

Group 1: Where people are being supported individually. For example, by:

• Personal Assistants
• Informal carers
• Shared Lives

Group 2: Services where a number of people are being supported in one setting. For example:

• Hospices
• Day services
• Supported living

For more than 100 people please email PPE@westsussex.gov.uk requesting that we contact you regarding the free PPE.

In the subject line insert ‘Please contact us about free PPE for more than 100 supported people.’ Include your contact name and phone number, so that we can call you back as soon as possible.

Delivery times and costs

PPE ordered from us is free of charge.

An optional delivery once a month is available per provider based on order limits. To maintain your supply, you will be able to access your account where you will be able to re-order your requirements.

Requests for emergency supply of PPE can still be made between deliveries if a provider is unable to provide their service safely and in accordance with Public health guidelines on the use of PPE.

Refer to our Emergency PPE requests above should you require an emergency supply of PPE.

Deliveries of PPE will only be made on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday.

The first PPE delivery could take anything between two to four weeks, due to the high number of registrations we have been receiving, after you have submitted your request. Please ensure that you have enough supplies to last until the first delivery can be made. All subsequent deliveries will be made on one of the stated days noted above and within a month of the first delivery.