An office equipment supplier has shifted its focus towards supporting the healthcare industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bates Office Services, in Rochester, has diversified its business model to help deliver PPE to Medway and Maidstone hospitals.

Founded in 1982, the office equipment supplier – which works with clients across the NHS, BBC and the KM Media Group – received financial support from HSBC in a bid to help healthcare services throughout the Covid-19 period.

With the coronavirus causing a surge in demand for vital personal protection equipment (PPE), Bates Office Services used the funding boost to quickly secure gloves, gowns, masks and hand sanitizer to help meet urgent requests from NHS Trusts, local authorities and private sector businesses.

Supporting both existing and new clients, 85% of Bates sales are now of PPE.

The company is now beginning to take orders from offices preparing to return to work once the government restrictions are lifted.

Jacki Edmonds, director of Bates Office Services, said: "As soon as we were approached by our NHS Trust clients, we were determined to do anything possible to provide the tools they needed to stay safe at work.

"Over 70% of our usual sales are general office supplies, so this was a huge shift for us.

"We've been working around the clock to secure PPE and deliver it as quickly as possible to help protect our wonderful nurses, doctors and carers.

"This wouldn't have been possible without the financial support from HSBC UK.

"We're extremely grateful to the team for processing our funding request quickly, which has not only enabled us to support the NHS but also helped keep the business trading throughout Covid-19, keeping our employees' jobs secure."

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