Like any essential business, Alliance Healthcare UK had to quickly adapt during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the safety of colleagues while maintaining business as usual. By late summer, they’d gotten the drill of PPE and sanitation down to a fine art. So when the UK government announced that schools across England should start reopening and resuming on-site lessons for certain year groups, they saw a chance to teach their neighborhood school an important lesson: how to stay safe and germ-free.
Alliance Healthcare has been supporting Castle Hill Primary School in a variety of ways since 2019, as a way of giving back to the local community. But, says Jon Cornforth, environment and health and safety manager, Alliance Healthcare UK, the chance to help keep neighborhood children and staff safe during a challenging time was especially meaningful.
“As a safety professional, I felt it was important to pass on my expertise and knowledge from what we implemented in our service centre network at the height of the pandemic,” Conforth says. “We were able to support them with guidance on risk assessment, and provide supplies they needed like face masks, cleaning fluid, anti-bacterial hand gels, hand sanitizers and blue roll.”
Social distancing banners, posters and two-meter “hero” floor stickers – a particular hit with the young students – were also made available to the school.
“We really appreciate Alliance Healthcare’s willingness to assist. It was helpful to have someone who has experienced similar challenges to offer guidance,” says Castle Hill’s Head Teacher, Dalene Johnson. “We have implemented all the suggestions and as a result, staff, pupils and parents had great confidence in our ability to keep the school as safe as possible during these unprecedented times.”