Technicians and engineers are working as part of a UK team producing simple ventilators for the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), group is leading training for others to carry out testing of the new ventilators.

Once people have been trained to test the devices, they will then use their skills at the facility producing the new ventilators in Abingdon before being deployed in hospitals.

Anna Orlowska, director of technology for STFC said: “I have been overwhelmed by the number of staff who are eager to help with this project, and it shows what a fantastic, skilled and enthusiastic workforce we have in the National Laboratories, who are keen to put their skills to use for such a good cause.”

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It Takes 30-40 minutes to carry out a test on the ventilators. The test involves checking the air flow and pressure of the ventilator while it inflates and deflates a set of steel lungs.

One of the challenges facing the UK in the coronavirus pandemic is the production of ventilators to keep patients with respiratory difficulties out of intensive care.

The medical equipment manufacturer Penlon, based in Abingdon, already supplies the NHS with machines used by anaesthetists in operating theatres.

When Penlon realised the demand for ventilators was going to increase dramatically, the company developed a simpler device that can be mass produced and used on a ward as a ventilator: breathing for a patient when they are unable to do it themselves.