We want to say ‘thank you’ to our Materials Management Service Lead after she made an emergency trip to deliver essential supplies to a hospital in our region last week.
Last Thursday, a request was made by the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust in Carlisle to see if any hospital Trusts could spare a stock of Guedel airways due to a product recall notice having been issued. These are medical devices used to prevent an unconscious patient’s tongue from obstructing their airway, especially when their jaw relaxes, and are a critical piece of equipment.
The call went out early in the afternoon and, less than two hours later, Louise Allen had secured the items from our stock base and was in her car making the 200 mile round-trip to deliver these. She said: “When I saw the request for help go out, I knew we had enough stock in our warehouse to support it, and that getting the Guedels to Carlisle quickly was critical. I didn’t think twice about jumping in the car as it was the fastest way to get them there. I thought to myself, ‘What if it were my family member who needed this?’ I’d like to think others would do the same if they were faced with a similar situation.”
Imran Devji, Executive Chief Operating Officer of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We are very grateful to Louise and her team at NTH Solutions for answering our call for help as fast as they did, and for supporting patients in our region in this way. I’m particularly appreciative of Louise’s personal approach and commitment to get the stock to us in a timely manner given the urgency. It’s at times like this we see NHS colleagues pull together to help each other out, and that is never lost on me. Thank you!”
