PPE portal: how to order COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE)

Eligible health and social care providers can order PPE through the portal to meet the increased need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PPE portal how to order COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE)

The personal protective equipment (PPE) portal has now moved to a new platform

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has implemented a replacement portal platform to better serve eligible providers in accessing coronavirus (COVID-19) related PPE stock, free of charge.

Access the new PPE Portal

If you have any queries or issues, please contact our customer services team on 0800 876 6802, Monday to Friday between 8am to 5pm.

The PPE portal can be used by social care and primary care providers to get critical COVID-19 PPE.

Providers who can use the service will receive an email invitation to register.

DHSC has partnered with eBay, Clipper Logistics, Unipart Logistics and Royal Mail to develop this service.

Who can use the portal

You can only log in and place an order if you’ve received an email invitation to register.

The PPE portal can be used by:

  • GPs
  • residential social care providers
  • domiciliary social care providers
  • pharmacies
  • dentists
  • orthodontists
  • optometrists
  • children’s care homes and secure homes
  • all special schools and special post-16 institutes
  • community drug and alcohol services
  • residential drug and alcohol services
  • independent sector providers (ISPs) providing NHS services
  • vaccination sites and vaccination centres
  • hospices
  • health and social care settings that were previously supplied via their local authority or local resilience forum – more information for these settings can be found at personal protective equipment (PPE): local contacts for providers

If you’re a provider in one of these categories, your invitation to register will be sent to your email account registered with Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS Business Services Authority (BSA), NHS England or the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This email will be from ppe.dedicated.supply.channel@notifications.service.gov.uk.

Information about children’s social care providers is supplied to DHSC by the Department for Education.

Steps to getting free PPE

  1. If you are eligible, you’ll receive an email invite to the PPE portal.
  2. Register with the email address the invite was sent to
  3. Receive a link to confirm registration
  4. Click on the link and create your password
  5. Order your weekly COVID-19 PPE
  6. PPE is delivered directly to the address supplied to us

 

When to use the portal

Eligible health and social care providers can use the portal to meet the extra need for PPE that has arisen as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You should not use the portal to order PPE for non-COVID-19 requirements. You should get this through your normal channels.

Help with using the portal

Call the customer service team on 0800 876 6802 if you have any questions about using the PPE portal, including, for example:

  • problems with registering
  • problems with ordering
  • if you believe you are eligible but have not been invited

The team is available from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, to help resolve your queries.

We may need to contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS Business Services Authority (BSA), NHS England or the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to help resolve queries.

Delivery times and cost

PPE ordered from the portal is free of charge.

Orders will be delivered within 5 days.

Some orders will require more than one box and may be received as multiple deliveries.

PPE standards

All PPE offered on the portal meets UK government quality standards.

You can find more information on PPE standards at Public Health England’s COVID-19 PPE hub and NHS guidance on supply and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other supplies.

When to contact your local authority or local resilience forums

The following sectors can now also sign up to the PPE portal:

  • a local authority service (including children and adult social care workers)
  • mental health community care
  • personal assistants (local authority, clinical commissioning group commissioned, funded through personal health budgets and self-funded)
  • direct payment recipient or individual employer
  • domestic violence refuges
  • rough sleeping services
  • extra-resident unpaid carers (an unpaid carer who does not live with the individual they care for)
  • an adult social care service that is not CQC registered (for example, supported living, extra care, shared lives)

If you are one of the above sectors and need access to PPE, please contact your local authority or local resilience forum (LRF) for further information about this. You can find a list of contact details in the personal protective equipment (PPE): local contacts for providers guidance.

Some local authorities and LRFs are continuing to distribute PPE in their local areas. Your local authority or LRF will advise you on the specific approach being taken in your area.

Contact Info

Call the customer service team on 0800 876 6802 if you have any questions about using the PPE portal.

The team is available from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, to help resolve your queries.