A home care company based near Sudbury have been inundated with requests from NHS and healthcare workers for help with their PPE kit whilst caring for people on the frontline.
A home care company which has found a way to reduce the pain of wearing a face mask for prolonged periods has been inundated with requests from NHS and healthcare workers hoping to benefit.
Oak Home Care in Acton have set up a JustGiving page to raise the funds needed to produce enough of the special headbands, that eases the strain of facemasks, to cope with demand.
Angel Clark, founder and director of the care agency, said members of her own staff had complained about the discomfort of wearing the PPE gear for a prolonged amount of time, so she began researching potential solutions.
She came across a photo online of headbands being attached to masks to ease pressure, and set about making the headband for her own carers - then demand peaked after key workers battling the virus in hospitals saw her creation.
The band has strategically placed buttons which allows the facemask to stay secure round the mouth area without irritating the ears.
Mrs Clark said: “The NHS are doing an amazing job during this COVID-19 crisis, with doctors and nurses risking their lives every day. We wanted to help and give back.
“The last thing the medical team need is pain in the ears when fighting Covid-19.”
The headbands cost just £2 to make but make a significant difference in easing the irritation left by the masks and now Mrs Clark is urging people to give generously to help NHS staff battling coronavirus in hospitals.
She said: “It’s a really affordable way we can make a difference to the current situation.
“I want to continue to make these for the NHS staff at local hospitals and even further afield if there is the demand.”
Currently the amount raised stands at £780, with supplies ordered to make 480 headbands and the priority recipients will initially be frontline workers in the ICU and maternity wards in West Suffolk Hospital and Colchester hospital.
Mrs Clark continued: “We’ll be grateful to any donation, large or small that can help with our mission.”
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