Gateshead Health NHS Trust is the first NHS body in the country to manufacture its own protective face masks.

FFP3 (Filtering Face Piece 3) masks have become well-known during the covid pandemic, yet have been used in the NHS for years to protect staff against fine particles and airborne viruses and prevent the spread to others. They are used in all clinical and non-clinical settings.

QE Facilities Ltd is the wholly owned subsidiary company of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, based in the North East of England. The masks are currently going through testing by the British Standards Laboratory and will be certified by the end of August.

Each mask is individually fitted to staff members to achieve good contact between the skin and the face seal of the mask. Each mask fits slightly differently to an individual’s face as this is the only way to ensure protection.

Anthony Robson, managing director for QE Facilities said: “We started to look at how we could produce our own high-quality masks during the pandemic when the need for them became greater. It’s taken us a lot of hard work and investment to get to this stage.  

"We have invested in state-of-the-art machinery from Germany and our teams have undergone training to run and manufacture these masks. Every part and stage has had to be precision-engineered to make sure that these masks meet the standard and are effective at filtration. Our FFP3 mask has four layers, one of which is an anti-viral layer, which has been proven to kill covid on contact and is also non-allergenic. On completion the masks are individually packed and are UV-sterilised."