A LONDON Irish contractor is urging construction firms to donate their spare personal protective equipment to the NHS’s frontline workers as they continue to battle the coronavirus.
The HR Group Contractors firm in north London has donated all of its spare protective equipment to local hospitals – consisting of 500 gloves and 100 masks so far – with more to come.
Hr Group Director Joe Fay, whose roots lie in Ballinagh in Co. Cavan and Connemara in Co. Galway, told The Irish Post: “Doctors and nurses are currently working around the clock to ensure patients who have coronavirus receive the best of care.
“But, as the numbers of cases of coronavirus increase, the strain will grow also.
“Like a lot of construction companies, we do a big bulk order of PPE at one time and often have a lot of stock left in our storeroom.
“We have given what we had in stock and when we can get more PPE we will be donating it to local hospitals.”
He added: “I am speaking with other business we work with and encouraging them to follow suit and do the same.”
Joe Fay, Director at HR Group ContractorsHR Group is still operating amid the lockdown in Britain as it is carrying out emergency maintenance and building work for a number of NHS medical centres and hospitals.
“The emergency works are helping to ensure that we can keep these centres open and at full capacity so that every room/bed can be utilised in these trying and testing times,” Mr Fay explained.
“I’ve spoken to a number of key people within these centres and hospitals that we are working within.
“They have all told me the same thing - they desperately need gloves and masks.
“There are also worried about whether GPs and pharmacists are getting the necessary protection they need.
“This is why I would like to call upon and reach out to all construction, labour hire and skip hire companies who may have spare PPE - I would urge them to donate it to their local hospital and help keep our doctors and nurses safe whilst they care for others.”
Some of the PPE MP Moran and Sons have donated to their local hospitals in north LondonHR Group Contractors, O’Neill and Brennan and Ron Smith Recycling are among the businesses who have already donated to Northwick Park Hospital as well as Ealing Hospital as part of the campaign.
Mr Fay is offering to coordinate collection and distribution of PPE from any construction firms that wish to made a donation, adding: “We have drivers working for us who I am happy to arrange to come and collect any spare PPE.”
The Irish-founded builders and plumbers merchants Mp Moran and Sons, who are the main supplier of materials for HR Group, is also supporting the campaign.
Bart Murphy of MP Moran and SonsBart Murphy, Operations Director at MP Morans, said: “Last Friday I received a call from a district nurse in Northwood who was in tears after losing a 28-year-old nursing colleague to coronavirus.”
“They have been trying to get missing items of PPE to protect them for weeks and today I handed them some of the very products they needed, and we are working on more.”
He added: “We need your support, please, please, please support us, as qualified doctors and nurses are dying”
Mr Murphy has also set up the GoFundMe page ‘Support our NHS Heroes’ to raise money to purchase even more PPE for the NHS.
If you are a firm with PPE to donate please contact [email protected]
