Being able to mobilise quickly to curb the spread of coronavirus has been critical for governments around the world. Every minute matters and being prepared can mean the difference between life and death. Here in the UK, our National Health Service (NHS) has implemented several contingency measures to prepare for a worst-case scenario. Aliaxis UK was called upon to support one such initiative.
In April, the NHS decided to set up a network of Nightingale Hospitals. The idea was to have temporary healthcare facilities that could help relieve the burden being put on hospitals if needed. Interserve was the construction company responsible for transforming Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre into one of these Nightingale Hospitals.
The company had the mammoth task of making sure the hospital was ready in just a few days. Interserve reached out to Aliaxis UK for support, requesting pressure pipework and fittings to move medical and macerated waste to the temporary facility’s discharge tanks. We were eager to contribute to this project and came up with a solution using our Durapipe Superflo ABS, which is designed for low temperature fluid transportation under pressure. What’s more, we delivered our solution in less than 24 hours!
The entire project came together in just eight days, thanks to the tireless work of some 400+ civilian contractors, a team of military personnel and about 500 clinical staff. Since mid-April, Birmingham’s Nightingale Hospital has been fully equipped and prepared to care for COVID-19 patients if the city’s regular hospitals become overburdened. Luckily, this has not been the case.
The NHS has gone above and beyond for all of us in England and the UK, so being able to support our healthcare heroes is something we are all extremely proud of. You could say that we were just doing what we do best as the global leader in plastic piping, but it also demonstrates how we can bring our commitment to care to life in our communities. Care and kindness can go a long way in these unprecedented times.
By Warwick Gaskill
Head of Specification & Projects Sales – Building Services & Industry
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