During this uncertain time, the Government is looking to partner with businesses that can support the medical sector.
Covid-19, also known as ‘Coronavirus’, has been described as the NHS’s ‘biggest crisis’ by the Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ council, Professor Martin Marshall.
Learn more about the investments the Government is making to protect the public and how your business can support them by supplying the goods, works and services required by the healthcare sector.
What is Covid-19?
Coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading fast. The outbreak, which started in Wuhan, China is now a global pandemic.
Coronaviruses are usually known for causing disease among animals; however, the new virus, Covid-19, has made the jump to humans.
According to The Telegraph, 20% of confirmed cases have been classed as severe or critical, with the current death rate varying between 0.7% and 3.4%.
Budget Announcement 2020
The Coronavirus outbreak formed the most urgent element of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak’s first Budget speech on 11 March. Mr Sunak said that the Budget “holds one of the most comprehensive economic responses to this outbreak anywhere in the world.”
The Chancellor has promised that the NHS will receive “whatever it needs” to cope with the challenges of Covid-19. Funding will be allocated to additional research and staffing, on top of the £6 billion of new funding to provide 50,000 more nurses, 40 new hospitals and 50 million more GP appointments also promised during the Budget 2020 announcement.
The Government did not release an exact figure for extra funding resources to combat Coronavirus; however, Mr Sunak was clear that “whatever it costs, we stand behind our NHS.”
Call for ventilators
On 16 March, the Government released a call for businesses to help manufacture NHS ventilators. The Government website stated it is “looking for businesses to support in the production and supply of ventilators and ventilator components.”
It is vital that patients critically ill with Covid-19 have access to a ventilator as the machine can get oxygen into the lungs and remove carbon dioxide from the body when people are too sick to breathe on their own.
As well as manufacturers, the Government has outlined the kind of skills they will need from industry and the supply chain as part of the nation’s Covid-19 response:
• Design/specification
• Rapid prototyping
• Contract/product assembly
• Certification/regulation/testing
• Logistics
• Medical training
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, has urged suppliers that can help to contact the Government Support Team using the following details:
Phone Number: 0300 456 3565
Email: ventilator.support@beis.gov.uk
All information provided in this article is given in good faith. However, to the extent that any actions taken in relation to matters concerning procurement, the above article does not constitute legal advice to you. The contents of these articles are not to be construed as legal advice or a substitute for such advice, which you should obtain from your own legal advisors if required. We are not and shall not be held responsible for anything done or not done by you as a result of the information provided.