Posted May 13 2020 | By Matthew Goulcher

PPE for the NHS

Well done to Wilson Lam, one of our Architects, for helping to create PPE for the NHS. Everything they do is on a voluntarily basis and they need support for purchasing materials, so please consider donating here if you are able. Thank you!

In Wilson's own words: "This started for several reasons but boredom wasn’t one of them. My sister and two cousins work for The Royal Free and Royal Hospital Chelsea as part of the outpatient and A&E departments. After several discussions with them, I became aware of the risks they were facing on a day-to-day basis. PPE was a big issue in general and some people who work in healthcare are not being protected at all.

"I couldn’t just sit there and wanted to help, so I had a chat with Boanosprimontas, who I co-own a workshop with. They collected materials and oversaw the testing, while I sourced the materials.

"There have been several versions during this process and we have managed to fabricate around 4,000 of version 1.0 so far. We continue to make improvements and have now tested up to version 5.0 now. This requires us to laser cut the PVC acetate visors screen and frames, then attach elastic straps. The new plastic screens have self-cleaning properties and all of the components can be reused.

"We use volunteers, including members of the Practice, to help assemble the face shields, by delivering the parts to their homes and picking these up once they are finished."