NHS Covid supply bill hits £26m

A £26 MILLION shopping list of life-saving medical equipment bought by NHS chiefs to cope with coronavirus in Scotland has been revealed.

- SALLY HIND

The huge sum, which includes a £12million bill for ventilators, was paid to private healthcare companies as the health service battled to source vital supplies to deal with the crisis.

The raft of 22 emergency contracts were awarded to firms by National Services Scotland (NSS), which deals with procurement and logistics for the NHS in Scotland.

Details of the deals, which also include beds, monitors, pumps and other vital kit, were made public over the last two days - but the true cost of the equipment required to treat the country’s Covid-19 patients will be far higher.