School prints visors for frontline staff

Students and teachers have put their technological talents to good use by making visors which could help protect those on the frontline against coronavirus.

Sutton Valence School near Maidstone may now be closed due to the virus, but its 3D printer has been put to work to produce the protective equipment which will be given to local doctors to wear as an additional precaution against the disease.

The decision to begin producing the masks came about after a Sevenoaks doctor contacted the independent school to ask for help after learning that they had the kit which could be used to print the safety wear.

So far the school has managed to produce equipment for five GP surgeries and a special educational needs school. Bruce Grindlay, headmaster at Sutton Valence School, said: “Pairing up with Tonbridge School, our design and technology teachers are pulling their resources together and utilising the equipment we have available in our school to print these essential visors for our frontline workers.

“With constant exposure to the coronavirus, they are taking the biggest risk to protect our country and they are doing all they can to keep as many people as possible safe at this time. We are extremely proud that we can offer our services and help the community, at this key stage of trying to stop this virus in its tracks.” Production of the visors is not the only initiative the school has launched in an effort to contribute the community response to the pandemic.

The school has also delivered postcards to neighbours with an offer of support to those who may need it. A number of staff members who live on or around the site have offered to help those who are most in need during the outbreak. Access to such equipment couldn’t come soon enough for one former GP. Dr Stephanie De Giorgio fell ill while treating patients on the A&E ward at Margate’s QEQM Hospital and before she became unwell had been seeing lots of people with respiratory symptoms, such as coughs and colds.

She said: “As a doctor on the front line I was working with a surgical mask, gloves and apron. That was what was recommended at the time for patients who are unwell but not having certain kinds of procedures undertaken. “Those procedures are called Aerosol Generating Procedures and they tend to be the patients who are having tubes inserted into their throats or are on ventilators and so doctors doing those kinds of procedures might have the kind of PPE that you might be seeing on the television, with certain kinds of masks and visors and hoods over their heads. “This PPE that we have in general practice and in the A&E department and on wards when we are not doing AGPS is what Public Health England has recommended. I know some colleagues are feeling that they’d be more comfortable with visors and long-sleeved gowns, and discussions are ongoing about that at the moment.”

“Once I am better I will be going back to work and seeing patients I will be going back wearing full PPE as we have to make sure I’m still not exposed because we don’t know whether once you’ve had the virus you’re immune to it - the science is still out on that. “The thing to remember is that most of us will get better. We’ll feel awful for a while but we will get better.”

‘Our design and technology teachers are pulling their resources together and utilising the equipment we have’

School may be out, but its printers are being put to work