Ventilator manufacturer reveals the issues in making 10,000 new devices

16 March 2020, 18:14 | Updated: 16 March 2020, 19:31

The government announced plans to work with JCB and Rolls Royce to bring an extra 10,000 ventilators to the NHS to combat coronavirus.

Niall in New Forest works for a company that manufactures ventilators and joined James O'Brien to give his industry expertise on how manufacturers can meet the demands of the government, who are looking for an extra 10,000 ventilators to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The manufacturer believed that the PM pulled the 10,000 number out of the sky and used the ventilator situation to answer "what can we say to calm the public down".

Niall added a sinister element to the situation and shared the delicate nature of using the ventilator in the healthcare system. He told James that if they are used irresponsibly that ventilators can kill people.

He put more emphasis on how intricate the use of the ventilator is, Niall shared the information that training to use the machine is time consuming.

"Training for a ventilator is not just a five minute affair."

Niall also pointed out that getting extra equipment is pointless if you may not have the support services.

"Having 10,000 extra ventilators is no use without the infrastructure to support them" he said. Niall pointed out that having to train NHS staff on the machinery is a time consuming effort and is something that hasn't been taken into account.

The manufacturer told James that his views are not standing alone, as "all of the manufacturers have said the same thing", that the industry is severely stretched because of worldwide demand.

"The entire world is asking for extra ventilators" he told James. The company he works for among others are trying to meet demand from mainland Europe and further afield and will find it difficult to meet the demands of the government.