Leeds firms join forces to supply NHS Nightingale hospitals with equipment

Herida Healthcare and Perry Uniform, both based in Leeds, have joined forces to manufacture and supply specialist mattresses and mattress covers to new emergency hospitals being created around the country in the fight against coronavirus.

An initial order was made to Herida Healthcare, who are a healthcare manufacturer, to supply specialist air-pump mattresses to the Nightingale hospital in London.

However with more orders coming in due to the development of Nightingale hospitals across the country, they desperately needed extra resources to support with the manufacturing of covers for the mattresses.

With the help of Leeds City Council, Perry Uniform were joined up with Herida Healthcare to help supply the specialist mattress covers.

Perry Uniform typically specialise in the manufacturing of school uniforms but with the assistance of Herida Healthcare, who supplied them with patterns and fabric, were able to start manufacturing the covers. They have already produced 500 covers in just over three days.

Both businesses are working around the clock to manufacture the equipment.

Staff at Perry Uniform are also working tirelessly to deliver on the project and although a number of staff were furloughed, initially due to lack of demand, the remaining staff worked over the bank holidays in order to meet targets. All staff are wearing PPE and carrying out social distancing.

Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Judith Blake, said: “The collaboration of Herida Healthcare and Perry Uniform is a perfect example of how well Leeds comes together as a city in hard times, and how adaptable our businesses are, large and small.

“UK manufacturing will be a crucial part of tackling this crisis, and I am sure there are others playing their part to that we are yet to hear about. I am extremely proud to see local businesses doing their bit to help the national effort and I’d like to say a massive thank you to the staff at both of these businesses, and all our essential workers across the city, who are working tirelessly to help in the fight against coronavirus.”

Neil Smith, company founder of Herida Healthcare, said: “We all acknowledge the incredible hard work of our NHS in these testing times and it’s great to see the team at Perry Uniform playing a vital part in scaling up to mass production in order to meet the national requirement for pressure care (anti bed sore type) mattresses across the country.

“Their skilled sewing and cutting facilities, usually in application for school uniforms, have been adapted to fully support Herida Healthcare with its ever increasing list of orders. Their assistance during such tight time frames has enabled us to meet the increased demand for both beds and mattresses as a result of coronavirus.

“I’d like to personally thank them and David Baggaley of Leeds City Council’s economic development team who facilitated the contact between both parties and skill matched during this immensely pressured time. Well done to you all. The Leeds region, its businesses and support networks have showed total unity when it was needed most.”

Bernard Bunting, managing director of Perry Uniform, said: “In this national emergency, when approached by Herida having been put in touch by LCC, we immediately saw a good opportunity to collaborate in supporting the amazing NHS. The Perry team were hugely proud to be able to play a small part in this national effort. This was such a productive three way collaboration facilitated by the council.”

For advice and support in relation to coronavirus, please visit www.leeds.gov.uk/coronavirus.

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