UK's Ventilator Challenge comes to a close
The production of ventilators within the UK as part of the Ventilator Challenge came to a close last weekend.
It is anticipated that as part of this project, 14,000 devices have been produced in around three months, accounting for over a half of all of the ventilators which are now available to the NHS frontline.
The Penlon ventilator, adapted for the Ventilator Challenge, has been awarded the CE mark and is now available for export abroad.
The programme formed a part of a three pillar strategy to increase the number of mechanical ventilators, with over 25,000 devices now available in total to the NHS – an increase from 9,000 before the start of the pandemic. Over 2,500 ventilators have been imported from outside the UK.
The government’s strategy involved procuring devices from overseas, scaling up the production of existing devices and calling on manufacturers who do not make ventilators, to help design and build new models.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said: “The Ventilator Challenge has been a great success and I would like to thank every manufacturer and designer, and their incredible workforces, for the huge part they’ve played in the national effort to protect our NHS and save lives.
“In around three months, industry has stepped up to make 14,000 new machines to save lives on the NHS frontline and to help safeguard against any future outbreak.
“The Ventilator Challenge has shown that UK manufacturing always rises to the challenge at a time of national need. Everyone involved is truly a hero of the coronavirus crisis.”
Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock added: “Alongside the government’s wider ventilator strategy, the Ventilator Challenge has played a crucial role in ensuring everyone who has needed a ventilator during this pandemic has had access to one.”
There are also around 11,000 non-invasive ventilators and almost 5,000 CPAP machines available to the NHS across the UK which were not available before the start of the crisis.