The UK has missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The EU has ordered €1.5billion (£1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses – but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases.

Some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, The Guardian reported.

A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested.

However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February.

The Government has previously said it was unable to join the EU's procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said the Government is confident that joining the EU's ventilator schemes 'wouldn't have made any difference to the supply of PPE'.

A medical professional in PPE, including gloves, eye protection and a face mask as a precautionary measure against Covid-19, carries a tank as a patient is taken from an ambulance into St Thomas' Hospital in north London

Missed opportunities to get more PPE January 31: On the day of Brexit, a UK official attends UK meeting on the emerging virus. Four countries raise the potential need for more PPE - UK is not among them. February 4: UK attends meeting of EU and World Health Organisation (WHO) officials in Luxembourg. February 24: European Commission updates officials on PPE procurement and asks countries to outline their 'exact needs'. The UK was invited but did not attend. February 28: The EU makes its first join procurement of £1.2million of gloves and gowns. The UK is not involved. March 12: The procurement fails because of a shortage of suppliers and is relaunched on March 15, still without UK involvement. March 17: Two more rounds of procurement for masks, goggles and ventilators go forward without the UK March 19. The UK joins the procurement steering committee but does not join a tender sent out to firms the same day for lab supplies. March 23: Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits there have been 'challenges' with PPE supply but was taking the issue 'very seriously'. March 24: No 10 confirms it has not joined EU procurement effort in favour of its own plan. It later claims it did not join because it missed an email invitation. March 25: British officials do not attend a meeting at which countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. March 26: The Government says it has 8,175 ventilators, but asks UK firms to build 30,000 more within weeks. March 29: Two surgeons become the first UK medics to die from coronavirus, putting a spotlight on PPE supplies for the NHS. April 10: Mr Hancock appears to suggest NHS medics are being wasteful of masks and gowns, urging them to 'treat PPE as the precious resource it is'. April 11: Mr Hancock confirms that 19 medics have died from coronavirus, after initially saying it would be 'inappropriate' to reveal the death toll. April 13: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages were and issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. Advertisement

Speaking to LBC, Ms Coffey said the UK 'is in a better place now than necessarily we would have been under the EU scheme'.

She said: 'The important point is that we have over 700 million pieces of PPE that are being delivered.'

On ventilators, Ms Coffey added: 'I think it is fair to say ventilators are being designed at a rapid speed by industry.

'We also have the situation where they have to be tested. The last thing your listeners would want is ventilators that do not work in our wards.'

She said: 'We are working at pace and the same is true with testing - we are increasing the capacity, we are increasing it daily.

'But I appreciate we still need to reach that target of 100,000 set by the Government by the end of this month and that's why many laboratories are being opened up so we can reach that target.'

But Whitehall officials reportedly only realised after all three rounds had been put out to tender that they had not received invitations to join the Joint Procurement Agreement steering committee where the orders are organised.

After telling the EU commission that the invitation emails were being sent to an outdated address the UK finally participated in its first meeting on joint PPE procurement on March 19.

However, British officials did not follow up that meeting and did not attend on March 25 when participating countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day.

The revelations comes as anger grows over PPE shortages in Britain.

Yesterday foreign secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages – rather than distribution issues only – was an issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: 'We are working round the clock with industry, the NHS, social care providers and the army to ensure the supply of PPE over the coming weeks and months and will give our NHS and the social care sector everything they need to tackle this pandemic – including working with countries around the globe.'

They added that the department 'will consider participating in future EU joint procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time.'