NHS and social care staff across the country are set to receive tens of millions of items of protective equipment every month after a deal was struck between the Government and a Hereford company.

Elite Plastics Ltd has started to make 20 million aprons every month for frontline healthcare staff treating coronavirus patients.

As part of the Government’s “Make” initiative to use the production power of the UK’s manufacturing sector, the company has ramped up its 24-hour production process, including opening new lines and hiring over 20 additional staff, with plans to recruit more people in the coming weeks.

Lord Paul Deighton, adviser to the Health Secretary on personal protective equipment (PPE), said: “The response from our manufacturing industry has been phenomenal and I can’t thank them enough for their continued efforts.

"Every health and care worker must have access to appropriate PPE and through this national effort we will ensure they do.

“We have already struck deals with around 30 UK companies to manufacture PPE and over 100 suppliers to deliver items at scale and pace. We will continue to identify further opportunities to get more PPE to the frontline rapidly.”

Josh Salmon, commercial director of Elite Plastics Ltd, based in Twyford Road, said the firm had to adapt when the pandemic hit.

“As a company we lost around 60% of our usual business when Covid-19 hit," he said.

"Due to the PPE shortage, we worked tirelessly to quickly convert our machinery and operation to produce millions of aprons each week for the frontline.

“The contract with the Department of Health and Social Care has empowered us to scale our production even more, allowing us to take on over 20 new staff and not furlough anyone.

“We are proud to be a British manufacturer rising to the challenge to produce PPE for our NHS.”

Before the pandemic, Elite Plastics Ltd mainly produced polythene products like shrink film, food bags and mailing bags for the building, catering, automotive and retail sectors.

Elite Plastics had played a small part in a bigger project by the Government to deliver more than 1.65 billion pieces of PPE to the frontline.

Deals have also been struck with around 30 companies, including Amazon, Royal Mail and Jaguar Land Rover, through the Make initiative to produce PPE.