At this unprecedented time of national and international crisis, all communities are being urged to pull together in the fight against COVID-19.
The NHS is doing a tremendous job in the most difficult of circumstances and is in need of all the support it can get.
That support has been forthcoming with healthcare professionals coming out of retirement and hundreds of thousands of volunteers offering up their services.
Many industries have switched their production to manufacturing PPE and ventilators and they are to be credited for that.
The scientific community is also at the forefront in addressing the challenge. University, pharmaceutical and diagnostic laboratories are being reassigned to fast-tracking the development of testing resources, vaccines and medication.
Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care referenced the tremendous work being done by the Porton Down Laboratories in his address to the nation on 2/4/2020. Places like The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, all other Liverpool University Labs, many at Manchester University, Addenbrookes, Oxford, UCL and many other labs throughout the country are dedicating resources to help combat the virus.
S+B UK have supplied fume cupboards, safety stations, emergency drench showers and specialist laboratory furniture to all of these organisations and many more. We are currently supplying to Porton Down and a number of other universities and are glad to help in any way possible.
The Government has urged construction and manufacturing to carry on in order to secure the future for our economy, providing social distancing directives can be implemented.
S+B is a specialist manufacturer that not only supplies directly to the scientific and healthcare community but also through construction companies in building vital new research, testing and development laboratories. Our work is essential on every level and we intend to carry on. So much so S+B UK have been designated a “Keyworker” company for the new DSTL facility at Porton Down.
Whilst we enjoy healthy levels of export business, there have been some lessons during this difficult time. Components and materials which we would usually source from overseas have been difficult to get due to countries understandably prioritising their own need and travel restrictions. This has necessitated finding alternatives from the UK and we have been able to do so.
We are all part of the global economy and must work in collaboration for the greater good of all peoples all over the world, but there is a lot to be said for self-sufficiency in vital areas of scientific research and development. We need a strong, vibrant scientific research and supply base and to that end, we need the support of our local communities to maintain and grow the countries capability.