A company which provides prosthetics, visual effects, and props to the film and television industry has donated manikins to the NHS to help train staff on how to use ventilators.
Lifecast, based at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, has also been creating 3D personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers.
Three years ago, Lifecast Body Simulation was launched and this involved creating 'medical manikins' for research, training, and education in health organisations.
In current times, the use of ventilators has become vital to helping those critically ill survive coronavirus - and it is even more vital the NHS has staff who know exactly how the life-saving equipment is used.
Due to the uniquely realistic appearance of the manikins, they are being used to train medical staff on the the use of ventilators during the outbreak of Covid-19.
Manikins being used in Brest in France. Lifecast manikins are also being used in the USA and Australia
Director and co-founder of Lifecast Body Simulation, Rob Clark, added: ‘We have loaned equipment for training at the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre in London for the duration of their operation.
"I personally delivered one of our bodies to be used to train all the staff there to prepare for caring for large numbers of patients."
Lifecast, overseen by creative director John Schoonraad, has also been making the best use of its 3D scanning and printing equipment.
Gracie Schoonraad, from Lifecast 3D, explained how she and the team got involved with helping in the pandemic.
She said: "It all started with an online article. Somebody was suggesting 3D printing parts for ventilators and PPE for patients and frontline workers.
"I reached out to the Borehamwood Facebook community with hope that we could contribute to the effort.
"Since we put the post out asking for help and guidance, people reached out from all over the country.
"We have some very good family friends; an artist friend of Tristan (Schoonraad) and his wife, a doctor of palliative medicine. By pure coincidence they already had started hatching a similar plan to help protect frontline healthcare workers so we decided to team up with them.
"This team up has become bigger than anything we could have anticipated. Huge research has gone in to designing our PPE. The scrub and face protection hub was born."
The 3D printers
Mrs Schoonraad said the project received funding from SunnyMarch Productions, which is run by actor Benedict Cumberbatch and producer Adam Ackland.
The money has helped buy more 3D printers which is helping to make face visors.
Frontline workers wearing face shields created by Lifecast 3D
Managing director of Elstree Studios, Roger Morris, said: "The film and television industry has many transferable skills and Lifecast demonstrate how these film and TV creative skills can help the health industry generally and especially at this terrible time.
"Their initiative is fantastic and we applaud them."
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