New funding will help shield NHS staff and carers through CoVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Birmingham, UK – 24 September 2020: AerosolShield Ltd. has secured £250,000 investment from the Welsh Government to help it develop and scale production of the AerosolShield pop-up isolation tent. The investment adds to £100,000 funding already secured in July from the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network’s (WMAHSN) SME Health Innovation Fund and MidTECH Innovations, as well as a public GoFundMe campaign which has raised £35,000 to date.
The grant awarded to AerosolShield is part of the Welsh Government rapid response Covid-19 RD&I scheme. This scheme supports innovative businesses and research organisations to deliver solutions that meet the challenges facing the NHS and care services as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The AerosolShield team is working closely with a number of Welsh companies, including for design and production, to develop a homegrown solution with international appeal.
Conceived at the end of March 2020 and accelerated from concept through to commercial availability in just six days, the AerosolShield is a transparent, pop-up tent that can be deployed in a matter of seconds to cover the head and shoulders of a patient, forming a physical barrier between the patient and carer during aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) such as intubation, nebulisation or CPR. By physically blocking infected droplets from the patient’s lungs before they can come into contact with PPE, the AerosolShield empowers healthcare staff to perform life-saving procedures without fear of personal or environmental contamination. AerosolShields have already been deployed to hospitals around the UK, protecting an estimated 5000+ NHS staff from potential exposure to CoVID-19 in recent months.
Mat Campbell-Hill, Lead Designer and co-founder of AerosolShield commented: “We’re so grateful to the Welsh Government for its support in developing the AerosolShield further and ensuring that our production can cope with the growing demand through this pandemic and beyond. From the very beginning, our sole focus has been to protect our friends and family who’ve been on the front lines of CoVID-19. From talking to colleagues in the NHS, it’s clear that the constant fear of infection or of bringing the virus home to their loved-ones has been just as big a threat to their mental and physical health as the illness itself. We want to offer these incredible professionals greater support to do the jobs that they are so committed to performing under the most challenging conditions.”
Kirsty Williams, the Education Minister for Wales, said: “I’m pleased to support this project as part of our support for innovation to tackle or treat the coronavirus, within the Welsh Government’s wider actions to help fight Covid-19.
“This funding is part of £6m we’re providing towards research, development & innovation projects and Small Business Research Initiatives related to the coronavirus, to benefit both the public and private sectors.”
Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have seen businesses across Wales work to find innovative solutions to help protect people, including our NHS workers, from coronavirus.
“AerosolShield Ltd is another prime example of how the business community has risen to the challenge facing all of us and I’d like to thank them for their efforts. I am delighted this funding will help them develop an important piece of equipment which could prove crucial not just here in Wales, but across the world.”
Produced by Welsh manufacturer Airquee Ltd., an established supplier of isolation and decontamination tents used by humanitarian organisations, health workers and the armed forces around the world, the AerosolShield is manufactured to the highest quality standards and can be used for many hours, even days, on the same patient, throughout the entire patient journey. This significantly improves staff safety as well as reducing overall costs for single-use products and extra environmental cleaning requirements. Most importantly, staff who have used the AerosolShield say they feel safer and less anxious about going to work.
Campbell-Hill added: “Unfortunately, we know that CoVID-19 will continue to be part of our daily lives and we must therefore adapt to these new conditions. The AerosolShield will be a crucial piece of kit for anyone dealing with a health emergency which could involve the respiratory system. From office first aiders and paramedics administering CPR on an unconscious patient, to hospital ICUs and care homes, the AerosolShield will allow people to take greater precautions whilst delivering the best possible care to the patient.”
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About AerosolShield Ltd.
AerosolShield Ltd. is a UK medical technology start-up that has developed the AerosolShield, a disposable, pop-up isolation tent. Designed to protect front-line health workers and carers from contamination by infected, aerosolised droplets expelled from a patient’s lungs during AGPs, the AerosolShield can be deployed in seconds and covers the patient’s head and shoulders, providing a workable protective barrier around the patient and allowing life-saving procedures to be performed, wherever they are.
The AerosolShield is available in the UK and internationally. For more information, www.aerosolshield.com
Notes to Editors:
Building stronger foundations for growth, supercharging the industries of the future and empowering Wales’ regions are at the heart of the Wales approach to economic development. The Welsh Government’s unique Economic Action Plan (EAP) drives change in policy, delivery and our mind-set to create an economy of inclusive growth that boosts our wealth and wellbeing and narrows inequalities. Our Economic Contract frames a new relationship with business based upon the principle of public investment with a social purpose as we help businesses respond to the challenges of the future. We support businesses to: innovate and introduce new products and services; proactively support trade with the UK and the rest of the world; improve our skills base and ensure that Wales remains competitive in the fourth industrial age; and enable more Welsh businesses to become carbon-light or carbon-free. Our Economic Futures Fund is a single consolidated fund that streamlines and simplifies our business support offer.
Welsh Government innovation support
Innovation can help your business become more competitive, increase sales and enter new markets.
We can help you to:-
invest in research and development (R&D)
introduce new techniques and technologies in design and manufacturing
protect your assets through intellectual property (IP) rights
access facilities and expertise in universities and colleges
For more information on how Welsh Government innovation support can benefit your business call 03000 6 03000, or visit http://business.wales.gov.uk/zones/innovation