1645: MTC develops intubation shield for NHS
Engineers at the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre have developed a fast-make protective shield for front line NHS staff involved in the intubation procedure for COVID-19 patients needing to be linked up to ventilators.
The shields, developed in collaboration with medical experts and industrial partners Rolls-Royce PLc, Aston Martin and Multimatic, with wider support from Innovate UK, have been developed from prototype to manufacture in less than a week.
The MTC and associated partners are in the process of manufacturing the first batch of 1,000 units and is also working with the manufacturing supply chain to ramp up immediate capacity to at least 200 units a day to meet expected NHS demand.
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1430: Chemical company donates supplies to hospital
A leading chemical manufacturer has lent its support to Airedale General Hospital with the donation of essential supplies to aid the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.
Yorkshire-based Airedale Chemical has donated hand sanitiser, PPE and other supplies to its local NHS Trust whilst maintaining operations as an essential business and supplier.
Around 3,000 bottles of 425ml hand sanitiser, 100 face masks and 90 clinical waste bags have been delivered to healthcare professionals on the frontline at Airedale General Hospital, located less than two miles away.
Also amongst the supplies being donated is a face fit testing kit which is required by COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) to ensure respirators and face masks are fitted correctly.
Chemical companies are classed as critical businesses under government guidance and although strict measures have been put into place to ensure the safety and welfare of employees, operations are continuing at Airedale Chemical which supplies essential products used in the cleaning, healthcare, food and drink, agriculture and dairy industries.
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1030: JCB praised for community support
The leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council today paid tribute to JCB for helping make a “real difference” to the lives of vulnerable people with its special food aid initiative.
Councillor Abi Brown’s comments came as JCB increases its production of meals for the community and works with more local organisations to extend its delivery of the food to the most disadvantaged adults and children.
The company’s catering staff in the UK and India are preparing more than 37,500 meals a week for distribution around towns and villages located close to its plants. The initiative is the idea of Lady Bamford, wife of JCB Chairman Lord Bamford. In the UK, staff started producing 2,000 cottage pies a week for distribution in the North Staffordshire area – and have now boosted production to 2,600.
