The donation is in response to calls for essential items from the NHS and is being accompanied by similar initiatives in other countries where Primark trades such as Ireland, Italy, Spain and the USA.

The packs contain underwear, leggings, T-shirts, footwear and towels and will be used by medical staff who are frequently working back-to-back shifts or away from home, as well as patients who need a change of clothes or toiletries.

Across the markets in which it trades, Primark will distribute care packs containing approximately 400,000 products. They have already been provided to organisations including the London Ambulance Service, hospitals in Ireland, the Spanish Red Cross and a partnership in the US with the Mayor of Boston’s Medical Intelligence Centre.