Volunteers from the University of Exeter have teamed up with the local community to build thousands of disposable face shields, to help protect frontline NHS workers during the COVID-19 epidemic.
The team from the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (EMPS) have assembled around 2,000 face shields for the local healthcare community, including the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The volunteers, who are PhD students, researchers and professional services staff, collaborated with a consortium of local businesses to make the face shields in a specially...
Even in these tough times, Sandy Park and Exeter Chiefs are looking to play their part in helping the local community - particularly those working on the frontline - whose efforts are going above and beyond.
With planned fixtures and events postponed for the foreseeable future, it’s meant that Sandy Park has been left with stock items that would normally have been consumed by our many visitors.
Rather than let them go to waste and go past their expiry dates, the Sandy Park team collated the stock and have been out and about helping to distribute it across three...
Doctors in Devon are concerned that people with cancer symptoms are not coming forward due to the coronavirus pandemic, following new findings that suggest four in ten people are too concerned about being a burden on the NHS to seek help from their GP.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has warned that delays in getting treatment due to coronavirus fears pose a long term risk to people’s health.
John Renninson, Clinical Director of the Peninsula Cancer Alliance and consultant at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, has said there has been a 75% reduction...
An engineering company that provides vital services to NHS hospitals throughout the South West and Wales is using funding support from NatWest so it can continue helping frontline medical staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rotamec, which is headquartered in Cheddar and has offices in Exeter, Pontypool and Redditch , is a specialist engineering firm that supports multiple sectors with the provision and repair of electrical and mechanical infrastructures and facilities.
These include important heating and pump systems used in hospital theatres and patient wards, which...
Researchers from the University of Exeter and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (PenARC), in partnership with the NHS, have developed a crucial new tool to ensure health trusts maintain sufficient levels of life-saving equipment and bed spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research team, led by Professor Gavin Shaddick from the University of Exeter, has developed a new data modelling tool to help forecast demand on crucial NHS resources in the region.
The forecasts have been used to help predict the demand for in-patient beds, intensive...
A VOLUNTEER army of more than 150 volunteers are working from home across Devon to provide vital PPE back up for local NHS and healthcare front liners after a community fundraising appeal netted more than £2,000 in just one week.
Across Devon, the talented crew of craftspeople are stitching and cutting around the clock to provide essential scrubs, laundry bags, and headbands, as well as printing 3D visors, to help protect key staff in hospitals, care homes and in the community.
Devon Scrubs started out as an appeal called Scrubs For Plymouth on a social media site before...
Doctors in Devon are reassuring local people that the NHS is still there for them if they are unwell and need help.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has warned that delays in getting treatment due to coronavirus fears pose a long term risk to people’s health.
The message comes as new findings that four in ten people are too concerned about being a burden on the NHS to seek help from their GP. Clinicians are concerned that some people who would benefit from urgent medical help may not be receiving it. People may be worried about coming to hospitals at this time....
In a show of support to Devon’s dedicated frontline NHS workers, Devon law firm Stephens Scown LLP is offering a 50% discount on Will-writing services to workers in the county.
To accommodate shift working, legal advisors at Stephens Scown are available to discuss Wills out-of-hours by video call with NHS workers in Devon.
Phil Reed, Partner in the firm’s private client team, says:
“The NHS’s dedicated workers are putting themselves on the frontline every day in the fight against coronavirus. We are so grateful to them and we wanted to show our support by...
Digital training experts have responded to the coronavirus pandemic by rapidly making new personal protective equipment (PPE) training for NHS staff.
Experts in training and human performance from Cineon Training and the University of Exeter switched focus several weeks ago to help the NHS.
The new online training is based on VR tuition which teaches nuclear workers how to use protective clothing. It has been created for online use, for easy access by NHS workers.
The training, based on current Public Health England guidelines, is ready for use and will support...
A LEADING Devon care provider says the home care sector’s image is changing in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis as more people realise how vital and skilled it is (April 2020).
Domiciliary care was perceived as being low-status, unskilled work before the outbreak, but Guardian Homecare, which has teams in Exeter and surrounding areas, says this has now altered.
Manager for the service provider, Catherine Porter explains: “We’re helping shield our elderly and vulnerable service users every day as requested by the Government and we’re also preventing any non-essential...