Presentation to Local NHS by Whitley Bay Rotarians

WHITLEY BAY ROTARY CLUB IN SUPPORT OF OUR LOCAL NHS


When one of our club members Past President Tore Skjaerstad, reported to our club that his daughter, a staff nurse in a local hospital, was experiencing difficulties locating personal protection equipment and in particular, surgical visors; he and club president Rod Clark decided they needed to do something about it.

Tore’s daughter Rebecca aged 25, is normally an A&E staff nurse at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, but is currently working in support on covid virus wards.
In a recent incident Rebecca was unable to retain her surgical visor and therefore lacked the necessary protection needed to work effectively and without fear on the covid ward where she had been seconded.
Hearing of this dilemma, her father Tore with Whitley Bay Rotary Club members decided to source and purchase seven hundred and fifty surgical visors for distribution to three hospitals in our region:-
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead,
North Tyneside General Hospital, Rake Lane,
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Hospital, Cramlington.

The visors were sourced from Paragon Rapid Technologies in Teesside, who had the ability to use a moulding tool to manufacture fast 3D printed visors.
Interestingly enough this contact came about because Tore’s company business, TSEC Ltd based in Stanley Co. Durham, manufactures custom high voltage thick film resistive products which are used in laboratory equipment for corona testing. Paragon Rapid Technologies was quick to respond to our order, which was completed and delivered within two days.

Of course, having got the visors, we wanted to make sure they were delivered to the three hospitals straight away. We were able to do this by personally delivering 250 visors to each hospital. Rebecca of course collected hers from her father and took them to Queen Elizabeth where she assembled them at the end of her shift.
Saying; ’The visors went down a treat and we had enough to go round and supply the A&E wards as well!’

Rob Anderson, Company Secretary and Business Development Manager at Queen Elizabeth Facilities Limited, said;
‘Many thanks for coming to us and solving this problem and can I say especially on behalf of all of our front line staff we especially thank you for your fantastic donation of critical PPE to them’.
Louise, one of the consultants at Queen Elizabeth added; ‘Yes, we cannot thank you enough for helping us in our hour of need, so a big thank you from me personally as well.’

Having spoken to Elliot Briggs, Procurement Manager at Northumbria NHS Trust, we were then directed to contact Theresa Anderson, materials manager at Northumbria Healthcare at Rake Lane and we delivered 250 visors to front line staff there last Friday afternoon.
Then we went to NSE at Cramlington and having previously spoken to Nathan Burgess, business manager were able to deliver 250 visors and complete the project of purchase and delivery of 750 visors within three days.

To conclude our Club President Rod said; ’Our Rotary Club is delighted to have been of service to our NHS who are working so hard and under such tense and stressful circumstances. We are indebted to Tore and his daughter Rebecca for bringing this problem to our attention and we are delighted to have been of service. We wish her and all her fellow NHS workers the best of health and our grateful thanks.’

If you would like to know more about our Rotary Club please do not hesitate to contact us through our website or our mobile telephone – 07419 736989.

Pictures show staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead wearing their new visors.

In addition to supporting three of our local hospitals, we have also committed funds to the following good causes / charities:

• ‘Walking With’, a local charity - £150 for the provision of food parcels to local refugees in North Tyneside.
• ‘The Bay Foodbank’, a local charity - £150 for the purchasing and provision of food for needy families.
• Cancer Research UK - £250.00 donation.
• Macmillan Cancer Support Newcastle - £250 for those whose treatment is affected by covid 19 virus.
• Marie Curie Newcastle -£250.00, for end-of-life support to their cancer patients.