Northumbria PPE Factory Produces 2m Gowns
21st September 2020A new PPE factory set up by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust during the coronavirus pandemic has already provided more than 2 million protective gowns to frontline staff across the North East NHS.
The manufacturing and distribution hub based in Cramlington, which was leased from local firm Wingrove Motor Company, started out with the aim to produce 6,000 gowns a week when it opened earlier this year.
The facility is at the heart of a wider complex of businesses which has grown over the past few months which currently has six factories.
Since May, the team of experienced machinists, some employed by Northumbria Healthcare and some volunteers, have been working hard to produce gowns, theatres hoods and scrubs, and are looking at branching out to add surgical gowns, pillow and caps to the list.
As well as providing equipment for staff the project has also created jobs for local people and helped support the economy in Northumberland.
Chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Sir James Mackey, said: “It’s incredible to see how far we have come in such a short space of time since the opening of our Northumbria manufacturing and distribution hub.
“Across this six-month period, there has been over 2.2 million gowns produced, which have gone on to help protect our frontline teams here in our trust and across the region from coronavirus.
“The pandemic has undoubtably proved challenging, but the determination, commitment and resilience of our NHS workforce in our region has been admirable. We’re thankful to everyone who has helped to make this happen.”
Media Contact:
Eliza Burke – Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
01912031295 / 07730218717
eliza.burke@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk
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