Home care provider invests in 3D printers to make PPE

Face visors for care workers visiting the homes of elderly and disabled people with COVID-19 symptoms have been created with 3D printers by a domiciliary care firm fed up with PPE shortages.

The home care group First City Nursing and Care decided to invest in 3D printers to make PPE when some of the people they cared for began displaying coronavirus symptoms.

‘We felt we were being forced to the black market’

Staff from First City Nursing and Care make more than 12,000 home care visits a week to elderly people and others needing care.

Stephen Trowbridge, managing director at First City Nursing and Care, said: “My teams are on the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 but every day it was getting harder to source the PPE that they need in order to do their jobs safely.”

The home care provider cares for 600 elderly and disabled people living in the South West of England who rely on home care visits by 300 staff members.

Mr Trowbridge says: “NHS distribution lines were only able to send us 300 masks a week and our other suppliers were finding it difficult to source goods too.

“Over the last few weeks we’ve seen prices rocket up, with alcohol gel rising by 12 times and a similar increase for face masks.

“We felt as though we were being forced to the black market to obtain this critical equipment, as new suppliers appeared on the market, but we were dubious over the quality and safety of the products."

‘Cottage industry of geeks’ ready to help care workers

Mr Trowbridge enlisted the help of a Swindon-based inventor Ben Edmonds who has to date (8 April) delivered 104 face shields to Mr Trowbridge with 75 more ready be picked up.

Ben Edmonds told homecare.co.uk: ”I run an inventor club for kids and he is the father of one of my students."

The face shields being created have a head band and face shield, which can be replaced between each client visit.

With five 3D printers and a laser cutter, Mr Edmonds is currently producing 10 face shields an hour. He is confident production will ramp up to “one per minute”, thanks to a new design he has developed.

Mr Edmonds says "a cottage industry of geeks" are ramping up to help care workers and others needing PPE.

“The design technology teachers, techies, there is a cottage industry of geeks churning out PPE for NHS workers, care workers and others that need it.”

Mr Edmonds has a website dedicated to his passion to invent at www.innovationben.com

First City Nursing and Care invested in the 3D printers used - priced from £225 for a Creality Ender 3. Mr Trowbridge has also pressed a local brewery into action to help produce alcohol gel to distribute to the firm’s care workers.