Portsmouth medics risking live to save Covid-19 patients to get 5,000 face shields from BAE Systems
THOUSANDS of items of desperately-needed protective equipment for medics fighting to save the lives of critically-ill Covid-19 patients have been secured by a defence firm.
BAE Systems is donating more than 120,000 face shields to frontline medics across the NHS.
It comes after the aerospace giant rallied to help tackle a national shortage by securing the items or by designing and 3D-printing its own.
Staff working at Cosham’s Queen Alexandra Hospital will be first in the country to benefit, with 5,000 of the face shields being donated ‘by the end of the week’.
Southampton General Hospital will also receive a 5,000-strong donation, with more promised for both sites in the coming weeks by BAE Systems.
Dave Short, technology director at BAE, said: ‘We’ve all been moved by the personal bravery of those working in the NHS who face the virus close up every day, so we wanted to help in any way we could. Our employees heard about the need for face shields, so we looked for the quickest way to get effective products to users.
‘At the same time as talking to suppliers, colleagues from our technology team and our air sector joined forces to design and manufacture our first 3D printed face shield in less than 24 hours. We kept in constant dialogue with our NHS contacts to ensure this met their requirements and had the first shields with them in less than two days.’
Employees in the company's air sector, who normally produce parts for fighter jets like the Typhoon, and those working in the submarine side of the business have been 3D-printing parts for newly-designed face shields.
Meanwhile, BAE has sourced tens of thousands of additional face shields through its supply chain to distribute to the NHS.
Mr Short added: ‘We’ve already delivered the first batch of 3D printed face shields, but to really make a difference, our supply chain is manufacturing a further 120,000 face shields to their own designs.
‘More than 20,000 face shields are already on their way to locations around the country, with the remaining face shields set to be delivered to the NHS this month.’
The news comes as Portsmouth this week launched its own PPE hub.
The organisation aims to provide protective equipment like masks, gloves, aprons and face shields to frontline care workers across Portsmouth.
It is being staffed and supported by volunteers from Hampshire Search and Rescue, who will sort and deliver items.