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How Midlands medtech has stepped up during COVID-19

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Dr Darren Clark, CEO of Medilnk Midlands, praises the manufacturers who stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic after a report from the National Audit Office raised question marks about the government’s procurement of PPE. 

As you will have heard there are lots of questions around government PPE procurement, amplified by the recent National Audit Office (NAO) reporting a lack of transparency, inadequate documentation, and errors. 

These findings heighten my concern that manufacturers who rose to the challenge in the first wave of COVID-19, are now being ignored by the government and snubbed from contract opportunities. Not only is this bad for UK industry, but we also have to hope that the PPE contracts awarded to overseas suppliers meet the standards necessary to protect our healthcare workers and patients. 

Many of us justifiably feel frustrated and angry with this turn of events. We cannot overlook the ill regard being shown to our regional manufacturers and supply chains, who after all their hard work deserve a fair and trustworthy procurement process. 

However, today I would like to step aside from those discussions and focus on a more positive outlook by celebrating and congratulating some of our Midlands manufacturers that have risen to produce PPE products. 

Let’s give thanks to all those companies that are making and distributing high quality PPE within the Midlands who so brilliantly showcase our region’s manufacturing strengths and capabilities and in so doing did their bit to boost the economy, safeguard jobs, and even create many new ones. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, some eight months ago, Medilink Midlands has been privileged to be working with manufacturing companies across the region who rallied to the calls for help and assistance from the NHS when faced with critical shortfalls in PPE. 

A consortium of Midlands based manufacturers was set up during the first wave of COVID-19, following the personal call to local manufacturers by Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands to produce the much-needed PPE and medical supplies. 

Airguard Filters – A Walsall based manufacturer, specialists in the design and manufacture of filters, coalescers and high efficiency filter bags.Arrow Medical – Contract medical manufacturer, specialists in the assembly of anaesthesia devices. 

Contechs Medical: A leading provider of specialist services to OEM’s, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the automotive sector, who diversified into the medical industry. 

Hospital Direct (HDI Group): Shropshire based manufacturer, specialists in the design, production, and distribution of patient handling solutions. 

Wearwell: Based in Tamworth, this well-established manufacturer specialises in the design, production and supply of premium quality workwear. 

Not only have the collective group played a pivotal role in the NHS supply chain, I can share with you impressive *aggregated data from the PPE collective, clear evidence that even in a national crisis, local manufacturers are the heartbeat of the region and their communities: 

In this article it is only possible to highlight but a few examples of how Midlands based businesses stepped up and there are many more that have helped in the fight against COVID-19, and protecting our country. 

Two of many businesses who responded to the West Midlands Combined Authority call for local supply or manufacture of PPE were Autins Group PLC, specialists in providing materials and products for acoustic and thermal management solutions, and Contechs Holdings Ltd, a T1 automotive design, development & trimming consultancy. Both companies were exploring how manufacturing capabilities, facilities, and skills could be used to address the issue of supplying PPE products and with introductions by Medilink as part of the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network, (WMAHSN) Innovation Gateway formed a partnership to meet the supply and demand. 

Not only did they make a significant contribution to the regional shortage of PPE, but this diversification into healthcare manufacturing enabled both companies to retain their staff and keep production lines open, through the Summer recruit more staff to meet the demand, and continue a unique ongoing partnership. 

My next example again signifies the importance and great results that can be achieved through collaborative working, as well as the personal impact that COVID-19 has had on us all. 

By coming together, a collective from industry and academia designed, gained CE approval and manufactured a 3D printed face shields at scale to support Nottingham’s NHS and community healthcare workers. This whole project started after one of the team felt compelled to put their skills to good use after experiencing first-hand the terrible situation faced by care homes. 

A team was quickly assembled consisting of members of the Centre for Additive Manufacturing and Bioengineering Research Group at The University of Nottingham, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG, Matsuura Machinery UK, Prime Group, and Nottingham Trent University. 

Using the latest technology and materials in Additive Manufacturing (3D printing), they were able to take something from principle through regulatory approval to scaled production and distribution in a notable short period of time. 

This is an impressive example of successful collaborative working using positive fragmented manufacturing and production, that emphasises that it is possible to rapidly develop and manufacture high quality PPE with the relevant safety certification. 

It is not only in PPE production where this pandemic has created opportunities, with digital health also coming to the fore through the accelerated development and adoption of technology across many areas of the healthcare system. 

Spirit Health, digital health experts based in Leicestershire had a ‘ready and available’ digital platform that could improve lives, save money and enable clinical teams to focus on their patient needs. 

The pandemic spurred clinicians to look at clinical services and find ways of how technology could support and care for their patients in new safe and efficient ways. Spirit Health was able to provide a solution, adapting to a fully de-centralised team, and as a result thousands of respiratory patients are now being monitored remotely. 

This opportunity is yet another that has created employment and economic growth allowing Spirit Health to grow their team, to support their online patient support service, broaden their supply lines, enhance their service delivery capacity, launch two additional products (Pulmonary Rehab and post COVID-19 Discharge) and forge great partnerships with healthcare organisations. 

It's because of these inspiring examples that Medilink Midlands will continue to provide sustainable support to the Midlands, campaigning for our members and the wider community within the life sciences, healthcare and medtech sector. 

We all need to play our part, no matter how big or small. For us, that is by supporting and connecting the strong regional supply chain and some of the innovative solutions of the future, to the selfless healthcare workers, enabling them to save lives and ensure a better quality of life for everyone. 

We will also continue to work closely with Make UK and other support organisations to ensure that the work, capabilities, and facilities that are producing high quality certified products here in the Midlands and across the UK are not overlooked and together will continue to support activities that build manufacturing resilience within the UK. 

Finally, thank you to the inspiring, hard-working organisations and care workers who play their part in the region's commitment to achieving great things. 

*for further details on the aggregated figure please contact zoeh@medilinkwm.co.uk

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