London, May 7 (IANS): The UK government has confirmed that 400,000 surgical gowns ordered from Turkey amid the COVID-19 pandemic, did not meet British safety standards, the media reported on Thursday.

The shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) was flown in last month with significant media attention but has not been given to National Health Service (NHS) workers in the UK and was now stuck in a government warehouse, reports the BBC.

During the past few months healthcare workers in the UK - including doctors and nurses - have complained about a lack of adequate kit such as gowns, masks and gloves.

NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson said care homes and GP surgeries were still facing "some difficulties".

He said the government needed to ensure "the rhetoric is matched by the reality on the ground" and that problems with the order from Turkey may encourage some NHS organisations to continue using their trusted local suppliers.

But Mehmet Duzen, spokesman for Selegna Tekstil, which supplied the PPE consignment to the UK, told the BBC on Thursday that the company had not received any complaint about the goods, or had any communication from the NHS, the British embassy in Ankara, or UK government officials complaining about the quality of the gowns.

"The fabric we supplied was certified. All the goods were certified. If there was any problem they could do an inspection and send us a report," Duzen said.

He added that the NHS had been in contact with him as recently as Wednesday and there was no mention of any problem with the goods.

As a company, Selegna Tekstil were ready to respond in a professional way if there was any mistake, he added.