Over a fifth of NHS suppliers providing items including surgical instruments, gloves, gowns and face masks are at “high risk” of using modern slavery, according to a government review.
Nearly half of all NHS suppliers of gowns and uniforms are based in China, which also provides the bulk of all masks.
The finding is included in a review of 1,361 suppliers to the NHS, conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care, following a government commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system.
The review highlighted specific areas of concern, including conditions in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, and noted that an estimated 100,000 Uyghurs and other ethnic minority ex-detainees in China may be working in conditions of forced labour.
The review used risk ratings drawn from the government’s own Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT), and other measures, to conclude that 21% of NHS suppliers would be identified as high risk. Surgical instruments, gloves, gowns, uniforms and face masks were identified as the five highest risk products.
Recommendations include embedding due diligence about the risk of modern slavery in government procurement processes.
Sian Lea, business and human rights manager at the charity Anti-Slavery International, said the analysis showed the NHS had a high reliance on high-risk suppliers and was potentially exposed to state-imposed forced labour such as in the Uyghur region and Turkmenistan.
“While we’re pleased to see that the government has taken steps to identify the very real risk of modern slavery in NHS supply chains, this is only the first of many steps,” she added.
“We also urge the government to improve the standard across all public sector supply chains, so that all government procurement may be free from goods made with forced labour.
“Looking beyond just government procurement, we also need trade mechanisms that stop products made with forced labour at the UK border which would have a strong and swift impact in achieving cleaner supply chains.”
Unison’s assistant general secretary, Jon Richards, said: “NHS staff will be appalled they’re using protective clothing and equipment made by people at risk of modern slavery or human trafficking.
“Hundreds of billions of pounds are spent on public procurement each year in the UK. Failure to apply proper scrutiny means the government is contributing to practices that lead to modern slavery.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to eradicating modern slavery and ensuring the NHS follows the highest legal and ethical standards in procurement.
“The majority of NHS suppliers have been identified as low risk but we will continue to work with NHS England to make sure rules for the procurement of healthcare products and services meet the high standards expected and empower NHS staff to take action against any modern slavery risks.”