Infertility test sample is defective, acknowledged DHSC statistics expert PPE MEDPRO test
The High Court trial between PPE MEDPRO and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) resumed on the eighth day, with the forensic focused on the government’s statistical credibility of dress infertility tests – testing its £122 million claim PPE MEDPRO violated the contract by providing a non-cellular surgical column.
On a day further undermining the central argument of DHSC, a cross-examination by government statistics experts Professor Anne Hutton Revealing a large flaw in the design and reliability of the gown test plan – including shockingly, no formal sampling method was used, and key questions about storing gowns remain unanswered.
Government tests conducted by Swann-Morton in 2022 are based on a fair sample 60 dresses Total delivery 25 million – All of these were disinfected only by one of them Seven facilities. In addition, two shipping containers were sampled from the estimated 544. Perform a test. 18 months later The dress was handed over to the Chinese government’s logistics agent. No detailed records How to store or process sampled dresses during transition.
“No formal sampling method”
Under the inquiry from the chief consultant of PPE MedPro Charles Samek KCProfessor Hutton acknowledged that the government’s sampling method failed to follow a recognized statistical protocol.
Samek KC: “You are very clear: ‘The dress sample does not use a formal method…’Do you support these words?”
Professor Hutton: “Yes, they don’t use formal methods.”
She further admitted that sample selection appears to be nothing more than manual snap-up from warehouse shelves.
Samek KC: “Someone walked into Bis Bardon warehouse and fell down boxes of different sizes of dresses, didn’t he?”
Professor Hutton: “This is roughly what I remember being told.”
Don’t know how to store dresses
Crucially, Professor Hutton admits she has No knowledge Regarding the mode of transport or storage of sampled dresses – This is a central issue in this case. PPE MedPro insists that any contamination may occur back The dress has been delivered to the DHSC’s agent, so the test does not reflect its condition at the time of delivery.
Samek KC: “You don’t know if containers may be kept in container parks or in empty places?”
Professor Hutton: “I know nothing about it.”
She further acknowledged that her analysis was correct Assumptions of normal storage conditionsand does not take into account the chaotic handling and undocumented storage environment previously described by the court.
“I should ask further questions,” she said, responding with Dr. Richards earlier in the trial.
“Nothing proved”
Samek KC summarizes the argument of PPE MedPro that the test results are ultimately No sense There is no guarantee of how to handle the dress in the last 18 months.
“Unless someone can correctly rule out anything that happens in the dress after delivery and before testing, the value of the test after the event…is omnipotent,” he said.
Professor Hutton agreed that in this case the value of these tests was limited and acknowledged in her report that “not normal” would require completely different problems and controls.
Experts at PPE MedPro: The test process is “completely flawed”
Later that day, DHSC lawyers Paul Stanley KC Cross-examination Dr. Chris WilliamsStatistical expert at PPE MedPro, who evaluates the government’s sampling method.
Dr. Williams describes the test process as “Totally flawed”It is noted that testing 60 gowns from such a large and complex delivery (including 544 shipping containers and 14 separate UK storage sites) cannot reliably represent the condition of the entire batch.
“Obviously time has passed,” he said. “During this time, these dresses were shipped from China to China to being pushed in the sea…and then they were stored in 14 different storage facilities. All of this creates uncertainty… or risk.”
Williams added that this uncertainty fundamentally undermines the integrity of the test and is therefore not suitable for supporting the DHSC claim.
Day 8 added a list of challenges facing government cases. From suspicious gown storage in open-air container parks to sterile testing protocols and inconsistent timelines for defects, PPE MedPro continues to argue that DHSC’s rejection of gowns is not reliable evidence, but an afterthought attempt to restore public funds after the fact.
The trial continues with more expert evidence.
