A YORK-based veterinary group is supporting the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic by donating ventilators and personal protective equipment.

VetPartners, which has practices across the UK, has rallied to support hospitals by providing vital equipment, including disposable masks, aprons and gloves, for human health workers on the frontline of caring for those who have contracted the Covid-19 virus.

Some VetPartners practices have also been able to donate ventilators to hospitals.

Under social distancing guidelines, routine work has been postponed and vets are seeing emergency and urgent cases only at the practices, while offering routine care via telephone and video. The changes have enabled practices to donate surplus PPE.

Donating the vital equipment will not risk animal welfare or the health of vets and veterinary nurses, and practice teams have even started making material masks and gowns, which can be washed at a high temperature with detergent, to replace disposable equipment.

Dr Rachel Dean, VetPartners Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice, said: “We want to help the awesome NHS staff and carers who are caring for human patients if they request extra items of personal protection equipment. Some of our practices have already donated ventilators, masks, aprons and gloves and we are more than willing to help.

“Human healthcare teams are working tirelessly round-the-clock to looks after patients and, as well as being very thankful to them, we want to support them in any way we can.”