On Friday 17th April, the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West officially opened at the Manchester Central Convention Centre. Staff from Yorkshire Care Equipment, a healthcare supplier providing a range of equipment for the field hospital, were among the hundreds of volunteers who worked around the clock to get the hospital built and set up in just two weeks.
In total, Yorkshire Care Equipment supplied 90 beds, 50 shower chairs and 33 commodes. The company received an order from the NHS Trust on the Wednesday and delivered the first load of care beds on Friday morning.
After delivering the equipment, five members of the Yorkshire Care team – including Managing Director Tristan Hulbert – remained on-site over the Easter bank holiday weekend, helping to prepare the hospital for opening.
Reflecting on the unique experience, Tristan said:
“My overriding thought was how incredibly people were working together in a time of crisis.
We worked closely with groups from the army and Network Rail, mainly unloading and setting up beds. But there were people from all sorts of industries – construction workers, gas companies, other suppliers – and everyone was helping each other out. There was a great atmosphere because everyone had the same shared goal of supporting our NHS. It was very humbling and something I’ll remember for a long time.”
The company join many other organisations in redistributing their resources to help tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. Their phone lines will remain open 24/7 to respond to any equipment requests from NHS and social care trusts.
