On 16 April 2020, the Cabinet Office confirmed that the first newly-adapted ventilator design from the government’s Ventilator Challenge had received regulatory approval and the first batch of devices have already been dispatched to NHS hospitals to support coronavirus patients.
PA Consulting, the innovation and transformation consultancy, is playing a critical role in the Ventilator Challenge programme, having been called on by the Cabinet Office to provide technology, sourcing, engineering, healthcare and project management expertise for this critical national programme. PA is working with some of the UK’s leading technology and engineering firms alongside smaller specialist manufacturers to rapidly build and dispatch the much needed ventilators.
Penlon’s Prima ES02 device has been designed, manufactured, tested and delivered to the frontline in just four weeks; an extraordinary feat of engineering and ingenuity.
Guru Krishnamoorthy, Chief Executive Officer, Penlon said: “PA Consulting was Penlon’s first touch point when this project started and they have continuously provided amazing support ever since, including helping us overcome challenges as we moved towards ventilator production. Frazer Bennett and his team have been a great sounding board to us on various occasions whilst providing much needed oversight of the consortium which we wouldn’t have been able to do alone. I look forward to working more closely with the PA team to complete this project well within time and save as many lives as possible.”
Panos Kakoullis, Chief Executive Officer-Elect, PA Consulting said: “I have been hugely impressed by the tireless work that the Penlon team has put in over the last four weeks to rapidly scale-up the production of the modified Prima ventilator.
“In these extraordinary times, it’s been incredible to see the ingenuity of Penlon, who has partnered with firms including McLaren and Ford, plus suppliers around the world, to get ventilators into hospitals fast. PA Consulting is proud to be a part of this life-saving national effort at this critical time and delighted to be working with government and industry on this collaborative mission to help resolve an urgent need for our country.’’
