In Chelmsford, ARU’s faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care have delivered a range of medical equipment to the Mid and South Essex University Hospitals Group, including ventilators and PPE.
Meanwhile, ARU’s faculty of Science and Engineering sent 4,000 pair of gloves, 1,000 hairnets, 750 face masks, and 175 crime scene coverall suits to Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge.
The faculty is also using 3D printing technology to make protective face masks and shields that will be distributed to approved NHS volunteers on the front line.
Many ARU staff have answered the call from the Government to either volunteer or return to practice to assist the NHS in areas such as nursing, physiotherapy, and as operating department practitioners and paramedics.
Students on various courses within the Faculty of Health, Education. Medicine and Social Care have also been called up to help in the battle against the coronavirus and to support vulnerable people.
ARU’s Director of Estates and Facilities, Zoe Asensio-Sanchez, has been seconded to the NHS to assist with establishing the new 4,000 bed Nightingale Hospital being set up inside the ExCel Centre in London.
And ARU has launched a new research project to determine the public health implications of COVID-19, specifically how self-isolation is affecting the health and behaviour of UK residents.
All teaching has moved online, with staff and students using videoconferencing software to replicate lectures, seminars and tutorials. With assessment also moving online, students are being supported to receive the qualifications they deserve.
ARU’s accommodation remains open as a safe place for those students unable to return home, with a staff ‘buddy’ scheme operating to support them. All ARU staff, aside from a few crucial roles that must stay on-site, are now working from home.
For those looking to start university this autumn, online Open Days and Applicant Days have been organised to ensure potential students have the opportunity to get as much information as possible.
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of ARU, said: “Over the past few weeks, life has changed hugely for us all, and the pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for everyone, including our university.
“However, I am extremely proud that despite all the upheaval our students and staff have risen to the challenge, using their expertise, care and innovation to support the national effort in a wide range of ways, making a real difference to people’s lives across the region and beyond.”