NHS PPE provider ramps up supplies to frontline
A Croydon-based provider of medical supplies to the NHS and healthcare distribution companies is ramping up supplies of PPE with support from Lloyds Bank after having an increased funding package approved within 45 minutes.
BlueKit Medical sources and provides surgical and medical equipment for use by NHS staff and private healthcare providers.
Lloyds Bank has provided a funding package that has allowed the firm to respond to increased demand for equipment including face masks, gowns and gloves.
The funding is also being used to ensure that the equipment can be delivered faster. The products, which are normally shipped, are being flown in to speed up their availability to frontline staff.
BlueKit Medical sources and delivers surgical and safety equipment to NHS service providers through its global network of manufacturers. The business was founded in 2012 to provide medical equipment to public and private healthcare operators and has been a Lloyds Bank customer since then.
Rebecca Porter, managing director at BlueKit Medical, said: “With demand for medical supplies available to the NHS at record levels, it followed that we’d have to increase the quantity of products we’re shipping from abroad.
“The flexibility and advice offered to us from Lloyds Bank, as well as the speed and efficiency across their teams to increase our funding at short notice, means that we’re able to support frontline NHS staff when it’s most needed.”
Mark Burgess-Clements, business banking manager at Lloyds Bank, said: “These are unprecedented times and support is needed for businesses and organisations across public and private sectors.
“When BlueKit Medical got in touch to ask for support to help fund extra supplies for use by frontline NHS staff, we knew time was of the essence. We’d spoken to the customer and agreed to provide it with the capability to place a large order within two hours – testament to our commitment to being by the side of businesses at this time.”
