Wales didn’t have a single specialist mask in its stockpile when Covid struck

Martin Shipton

Wales entered the Covid-19 pandemic without a single in-date, usable FFP3 respirator mask in its emergency stockpile, the UK Covid Inquiry has found.

The campaign group Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru says the findings show the previous Welsh Government misled the Senedd, trade unions and the public about the state of Wales’ emergency PPE supplies.

Despite repeated pandemic planning exercises warning that FFP3 masks would be essential, those recommendations were ignored. The report also suggests Wales may still not have an adequate stockpile in 2026.

An FFP3 face mask is regarded as the best mask to protect oneself from dust, airborne particles, viruses, bacteria and other air pollutants. Designed in line with European safety requirements, such masks come with certificates that confirm their authenticity. They are mostly used by professionals who work in places where there is a high chance of airborne infections and diseases.

Some of the most common professionals to use such masks include healthcare workers – doctors, nurses and support staff working in high risk infection zones of hospitals and healthcare facilities.

Covid Bereaved Families For Justice Cymru said the findings in the UK Covid Inquiry’s Module 5 report on procurement directly contradicted repeated assurances that Wales had

sufficient PPE.

Evidence from the Inquiry showed that NHS England quietly supplied the Welsh Government with almost £1m worth of FFP3 respirators, raising serious questions about why ministers continued to reassure the public that supplies were sufficient.

Sam Smith-Higgins, the campaign lead of the families’ campaign group, said: “This report should be an alarming wake-up call for everyone in Wales.

“Ministers repeatedly claimed Wales had enough FFP3 masks. The Inquiry has now

revealed the opposite – there wasn’t a single usable FFP3 respirator in the emergency Welsh stockpile.

“Without NHS England stepping in to provide almost £1m worth of masks, the situation would have been even worse.

“Once again, the UK Covid Inquiry provides insufficient consideration of why things went wrong in Wales. The report exposes a catastrophic failure, but does not investigate how it happened, who was responsible, or why repeated warnings were ignored. That is why Wales urgently needs its own Covid Inquiry,

“Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru will submit the Module 5 findings to South Wales Police as further evidence in its existing complaint against the Welsh Government.”

Catherine Griffiths of Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru: said: “I cried when I heard this evidence. Care workers, NHS staff and vulnerable patients were left without the protection they should have had while the public was being told everything was under control. Families deserve the truth, accountability and a Wales-specific Covid Inquiry.”