Abstract
As COVID- 19 continues to sweep across the nation, the pressures faced by key workers exposed to the virus are becoming more evident, with the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment being reported throughout the media.
On the 29th March Government announced that 390 million items of PPE had gone to NHS staff in the last fortnight, but as days pass more stories continue to emerge.
One UK business has joined forces with the local community to supply visors in a bid to protect front line NHS staff.
Within 48 hours of that phone call, 3P Innovation had produced the first 10 units and shipped them to Southampton Hospital. They are now using their engineering expertise to design and create a supply chain, capable of reaching 15,000 finished visors per day.
Senior NHS contacts have been very supportive of the initiative and are working closely with 3P to ensure NHS approvals are given.
But, with more orders coming in, and demand being high, materials for the visor could become more difficult to obtain, even more so if buying in bulk?
The community led approach is one way in which engineers and manufacturers are able to help during the on-going crisis, but with front line workers being more exposed to the virus, it is clear that any approach… can’t be too soon.
