Highland life sciences company LifeScan steps in to help with production of personal protective equipment (PPE) during Covid-19 coronavirus crisis
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LifeScan is helping in the battle to keep frontline workers supplied with vital safety equipment as they treat patients with coronavirus.
The city's largest private sector employer is assisting a small consortium of city companies working to produce face shields for health workers.
As previously reported Aseptium and 4c Engineering, based at Inverness Campus, came up with a way of producing shields that would be robust, secure and comfortable and could be rapidly manufactured in volume.
Now LifeScan, which specialises in making diagnostic equipment for diabetes, has stepped in to provide extra manpower, with more than 3000 protective visors now having been manufactured for use by NHS Highland staff so far.
Peter Macdonald from 4c Engineering said: "To date we’ve supplied over 3000 to NHS and social care organisations, and we’ve got another 3000 going through production.
“The Corran Visor project is a great demonstration of the Highlands business community, bringing together 4c Engineering’s innovation, Aseptium’s expertise and Lifescan’s manufacturing strength to deliver a much needed supply of equipment.
“We’re also looking at other areas where we can apply our innovation and engineering skills to meet further needs that have arisen in this crisis.”
A spokeswoman for LifeScan said: “We can confirm that we are engaging with the NHS on how we can be of help during the Covid-19 situation.
“LifeScan, along with Inverness-based companies 4c Engineering and Aseptium, have joined forces to meet the current urgent need for PPE in the Covid-19 crisis.
She added that the firm was managing the new work alongside its existing role.
“Just as importantly, LifeScan Inverness’s primary goal during this situation is to ensure people with diabetes and those who support them have the test strip supplies they need to manage their condition, especially since people with diabetes are a high-risk group when it comes to Covid-19," she said.
“LifeScan Inverness is honoured to help frontline Covid-9 workers and the wider community while maintaining our full capacity to manufacture and deliver strips to our patients and customers.”
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