by Paul Dunn and Sarah Rose
When supplies of personal protective equipment were exhausted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust decided to take matters in its own hands and create a local manufacturing facility.
You’ll learn:
• About organisational vulnerability when supply chains fail
• That community support can work as an interim support measure
• How an entrepreneurial mindset can revolutionise operations, build resilience and aid job creation
When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. President John F Kennedy
It may be early in our collective COVID-19 journey to consider the opportunities that have been born out of adversity. Some might even say it is crass to mention the word opportunity given what has gone before and what we may face over the coming months ahead. But like with every crisis, there will be learning opportunities and there are many with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The context
As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, the media headlines were consumed by the number of cases, number of deaths, number of people in hospital… we could go on. Fear was an overriding emotion that consumed the nation and added to this fear was the news regarding PPE.
Every day, headlines in the news appeared about PPE. From hospitals, care homes, care providers and GP surgeries all at risk of running out, through to consignments being stuck on aeroplanes and everything else in between. Our reliance on the international markets for PPE may work well when the wheels of the world are working, but when faced with a pandemic and the world technically shuts down, we are all vulnerable.
Nationally there was, and continues to be, national NHS coordination of supplies. In fact the Army were commissioned to help support distribution of PPE.
When there are issues with manufacturing and delivery, it impacts on everyone. Being reliant on pallet drops of PPE from people who don’t really understand the geography and the make-up of the health and care system is fundamentally problematic. Many organisations were getting each other’s expected deliveries, what was promised was not delivered and it became very clear that central coordination of this was actually an impossible job.
At this point let us be clear on the importance of PPE during a pandemic. PPE saves lives.
The community call to arms
As the headlines ramped up and we put out a ‘community call to arms’, our local communities responded with everyone wanting to help. People of all ages, businesses of all persuasions, schools and prisons all came together for a common goal to do their bit to support the NHS. From homemade face masks and visors to kit bags, those sewing machines that were hidden under the stairs for many years went into overdrive. The NHS is, and will continue to be, ever grateful for the amazing support.
The opportunity
No matter how much support from the local community was given this could never fill the gap of essential PPE equipment, specifically clinical gowns and scrubs, which were needed as part of infection prevention and keeping our staff safe. NHS organisations and other care providers didn’t know, from one day to the next, what would be delivered. Given that hospitals would on average go through thousands of gowns each day, this was increasingly becoming a critical issue.
Following an opportunistic conversation between Northumbria Healthcare and Sarah Rose from Hobart Rose, a local textiles and manufacturing company, it was clear that we could resolve this very real issue with local manufacturing. This rapidly created a unique partnership that mobilised within weeks and, at the height of a pandemic and strict lockdown rules, created essential PPE equipment not only for Northumbria Healthcare but the whole of the north.
Over two million pieces of PPE equipment have been made in a matter of months and supplies across the region are well placed to support all organisations as we embark on the second wave of COVID-19.
But more importantly this is a positive legacy that will not only get us through the pandemic but beyond. Northumbria Healthcare is committed to locally manufacturing as much as it practicably can. No longer will it be reliant on international markets for key pieces of protective equipment and this not only builds resilience but creates employment opportunities.
More product lines are being added, including pillow cases, with other NHS organisations choosing to be supplied via this newly formed NHS manufacturing hub. Demands are such we have moved to new premises to ensure we can grow and evolve as demands increase.
Out of the face of adversity, innovation has not only meant we can keep people safe and protected but we can support our local economy with job creation too.
Paul Dunn is the executive director of finance for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and has been since 2004. He is a qualified accountant with over 25 years experience of working in the health service. Paul helped develop the trust’s successful application for foundation status and long-term financial strategy.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paul-dunn-1819b339/
Sarah Rose is a consultant to Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing Hub and managing director of Lucas Jacob Ltd. She has extensive experience in textile sourcing and manufacturing within the UK and internationally. With over 27 years of running her own business she has developed networks, throughout the UK and abroad, boosting the economy and creating jobs within the region and nationwide whilst developing and supporting apprenticeship training schemes, university placements and mentoring. She is passionate about the industry and a committed proven champion for MADE IN UK product. Since launching the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing Hub, this work has been awarded a hotly contested Chief Executive Making a Difference Award.
Twitter @sarahrose126
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sarah-rose-23294922/
Instagram: @sarahk1206