A firm of bookbinders is making 3,000 visors a day to help protect NHS staff from Covid-19.
Tudor Bookbinding of Wigston, Leicestershire, is supplying the visors to two local NHS Trusts.
Ian Chamberlain, the firm’s managing director, said he discussed the pandemic with an infection control nurse and asked what he could do.
She showed him a photo of a typical visor and he set about building a prototype. This was refined after feedback from procurement specialists, and full production started.
Mr Chamberlain said: “It isn’t the most complicated product, but it is doing exactly what they want. They wanted something simple to put on, take off, and if necessary disregard.”
He said his firm already had stocks of the three basic materials – clear plastic, foam and elastic – because they used it in various printed products. It was then a case of tweaking existing machinery to form a production line.
Mr Chamberlain said that the firm had spare capacity because of a fall in bookbinding orders since the lockdown began. His biggest concern now is maintaining supplies of the raw materials, which are now in high demand.
Sarah Holliehead, head of procurement for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “Tudor have been a great source of visors and we now have regular orders in place for the coming weeks. Tudor are also working with us to make the visors suitable for Aerosol Generating Procedures by adapting the design. We couldn’t ask for more.
“We continue to review our PPE on a daily basis and are working with various suppliers, national and local. We thank everyone supporting us at this time.”
CAPTION: Russell Hadfield, LPT’s Clinical Category Manager, holds one of the visors.