Medical hoses bought for Ventilator Challenge repurposed following Cabinet Office agreement
Patients in hospitals across the UK are benefiting from a donation of over 10,000 medical oxygen hoses, vital pieces of equipment for respiratory care, thanks to the efforts of gas control specialist BPR Medical and an agreement with the Cabinet Office.
The hoses, which are used to connect respiratory equipment like ventilators and anaesthetic machines, were originally ordered and paid for by the Cabinet Office for the Ventilator Challenge programme at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. When the demand for new ventilators did not reach the levels expected and some of the programmes ceased, the hoses were no longer required.
As the NHS needs to replace tens of thousands of oxygen hoses every year, BPR offered to send the devices – worth £377,000 – to Hospital Trusts across the UK free of charge, and the Cabinet Office agreed.
Work to contact all 176 Trusts started in August 2020, with sales and customer service personnel contacting medical engineers across the country by phone. BPR also created a team to fulfil the requests as they were received. In total 121 Trusts placed orders for 10,770 hoses, ranging in length from one to six metres.
Senior Medical Devices Technician John Itter from Salisbury Hospital, one of the hospitals to benefit from the donation programme, said, ““The hoses are vital pieces of equipment for delivering oxygen to patients. Quality is key as they receive a lot of wear and tear in a demanding environment, but nevertheless they still need replacing from time to time. We’re delighted that BPR rose to the challenge and that the equipment is being repurposed for the benefit of patients and the Trust.”
Richard Radford, Managing Director, BPR Medical, said, “When we were first contacted to support the ventilator challenge, we were keen to play our part in the national effort. So, when the equipment was no longer needed, we worked with the Cabinet Office and offered to go the extra mile to dispatch it to hospitals.
“It’s a win-win situation. Patients and Trusts benefit from high quality respiratory equipment and the Government’s investment is redirected to the NHS.”
Gareth Rhys Williams, Government Chief Commercial Officer, said, “We would like to thank BPR Medical for their work with the Ventilator Challenge, and for their hard work distributing medical consumables after the programme to secure much needed consumables for the NHS and value for the taxpayer.”
