Engineering news
Field hospitals in London, Manchester and Birmingham could care for over 4,000 patients, while surrounding trusts will also need support as clinical engineers are transferred to the new facilities.
NHS England appealed for volunteers with a range of engineering skills to help keep frontline services running. The application form is hosted on the Royal Academy of Engineering website.
Dr Helen Meese, IMechE trustee and founder of The Care Machine, called for chartered engineers and engineering technicians to offer their help in “unprecedented” circumstances.
“If there are any engineers who think they have got the kind of skill-set that could be useful, there is a form to fill out to register your interest,” she said to Professional Engineering. “They are going to be doing fairly run of the mill jobs, in terms of keeping equipment working, making sure it is stored properly and everything. The idea is they are there to support the clinical engineers.”
The job description also calls for managerial support, calibration of test equipment and other desired skills.
“It’s really nice, the engineering community stepping up to help with this,” said Dr Meese. “It’s exactly what engineers do.”
For more information and to apply, visit the job post on the Royal Academy of Engineering website.
UPDATE: Sign-up for volunteering at the London, Manchester and Birmingham hospitals is now closed after more than 600 engineers applied in 24 hours. Engineering expertise to help tackle the coronavirus is required for other opportunities on the Royal Academy website, and information about volunteering at other field hospitals is expected soon.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.