Question marks surrounding supply levels and quality have led PPE to dominate headlines throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the UK Border Force has issued a vigilance warning to the supply chain industry, after identifying a growing trend for criminals taking advantage of the situation, pushing counterfeit PPE and medicines into circulation.

It has been estimated that over £800,000 has been lost to substandard PPE that has entered the country, and now it is reported that 400,000 gowns, purchased from Turkey, are now sitting in a warehouse unable to be used. PPE is becoming a real headache for the UK government and despite their efforts, they may be rushing to obtain required items leaving them vulnerable to counterfeit PPE entering the country and the healthcare system.

Jamie Wilson, founder of Cryptoloc, a UK company who offer an anti-counterfeiting solution to the supply chain, comments: “The issue of PPE is massive during this pandemic and continues to provide a real challenge for the UK government. The danger is that the NHS do not buy from manufacturers, they buy from distributors who have the buying power and ability to get the best possible price for goods. The issue is not the distributors it is the supply chain. What we, and customs agencies have identified is that suppliers from China and Taiwan for instance, are finding gaps in their reputable suppliers and are filling order with supplier who are not approved, leading to substandard counterfeit goods entering the supply chain.”

A PPE container from China could take up to eight weeks to reach the UK. In that time, criminal counterfeiters could tamper with shipments on route. This opportunity could make thousands of pounds for criminals but could cost lives if they are tampering with shipments of approved quality PPE or medical equipment and replacing with substandard items.

Cambridge based Cryptoloc, an Australian company that opened its European headquarters here in 2020, has developed an effective solution to assist the supply chain in preventing tampering of shipments coming into the UK. Cryptoloc QA security works by applying a patented, scannable QA code, containing both product information and the batch code, to products. Each code uses dual RSA 2048 and AES 256 encryption, meaning they cannot be copied or altered. Customs agents and hospitals can therefore verify the PPE meets all the required standards, simply by scanning the code using a free smartphone app for iOS and Android.

Wilson continues: “When it comes to the problem of counterfeit goods, one of the main risks is distributors tampering with a consignment between manufacture and delivery, to boost profit or cut corners. Our QA label, which can be added to individual boxes or entire containers, has been designed to provide reassurance that no counterfeit goods can slip their way into the shipment undetected. Both the customs agents, distributors and even hospitals can check all goods by simply scanning the QA code on the products with a free Android or iPhone app.”

It is only a matter of time before counterfeit PPE and medical equipment ultimately ends up in a hospital and it is vital that more is done to protect both the NHS and the public and prevent this from happening. The consequences of PPE entering the NHS supply chain could be catastrophic, leading at best to dangerous delays with procuring replacement items if the counterfeits are detected, and at worst resulting in unnecessary deaths.

The QA service is being offered to the government now and to help facilitate this, the company have setup a 24-hour COVID-19 response team who can arrange rapid implementations.