A group of North East businesses have come together to help a health trust in the region set up its own manufacturing facility for protective gowns and other PPE.
With many health and social care organisations struggling to get enough protective equipment for staff treating people with coronavirus, the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has set up a manufacturing plant in Cramlington, Northumberland.
The project has seen the Northumbria trust joining forces with the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, other NHS partners, Northumbria University and local businesses.
The new manufacturing facility will be based at premises leased from Newcastle’s Wingrove Motor Company, with machinery and equipment purchased by the trust being installed in the next few days.
It is hoped the facility would be able to produce 7,500 protective gowns a week, with 30 experienced machinists on its production line.
Staff at Northumbria University’s School of Design, technicians and academics are also working alongside Northumbria Healthcare staff and volunteers from the textile industry to make gowns and scrubs to NHS-approved designs that have been delivered to St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle.
Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their offers of support over recent weeks - the fact we have now have so many organisations and businesses helping us is a real testament to the innovative spirit of this region. Everyone has been fantastic and worked so quickly to help turn ideas into reality.
“We are receiving PPE through the national NHS supply chain but we know there is a huge demand for supplies globally which is a challenge. This extra support is vital to keeping stocks flowing as we use thousands of pieces of equipment every day across the region.
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“The new facility in Cramlington and the wider support we have from businesses means we can manage supply, from design to the front-line.”
The facility will run for an initial three months but could stay open longer if needed.
North East companies involved in the effort include Lucas Jacob, Hobart Rose, Camden Alterations, Simply Fabrics in Wallsend, First for Fabrics, Barbour, IGH Manufacturing, Ena Shaw, Magic Textiles, May-lean, Northern Clothing Co, All in One, Permess Re-Cut Solutions Ltd and Jeffery Carr.
Josh Parker, managing director of Wingrove Motor Company, said: “We’re all in awe of the incredible work being done by NHS staff across the North East in the most difficult of conditions, and it’s a real honour and a privilege for us to be able to support them in this way.
“Our team has done a fantastic job in emptying out our distribution centre in such a short space of time and work is now ongoing to get the production line up and running as quickly as possible. We very much hope this project makes a real contribution to the health and well-being of people living in the communities that we’re proud to have been part of for almost a century.”