Alexandra, SEKO Logistics join hands to fund and deliver 380K protective equipment to British care home group

Alexandra and its global supply chain partner, SEKO Logistics, have together supported the donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including protective gloves, face masks and aprons, for frontline staff working in a British care home group.

The two companies have joined together to fund and deliver 380,000 items of protective equipment to The Orders of St John Care Trust, one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit care organizations providing high quality care for older people at 69 locations across Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, West Sussex and Wiltshire. The Trust’s 4,800 staff provide specialised dementia, intermediate, respite, day care and expert nursing for more than 3,500 residents.

The UK Government has confirmed coronavirus outbreaks at more than 2,000 care homes in England since the spread of the Covid-19 virus. In support of staff and residents at the St John Care Trust, Alexandra Workwear and SEKO Logistics are donating 276,000 aprons, 69,000 gloves and 34,500 face masks, as well as antiviral disinfectant wipes.

Martin Lyne, Managing Director of Alexandra, said: “As an essential supplier of healthcare uniforms, Alexandra has remained fully focussed on assuring the continuity of supply for frontline healthcare workers during the crisis. Alexandra is delighted to have teamed up with SEKO and their group initiative in support of this critical need.”

“St John Care Trust approached Alexandra for support with PPE and we wanted to respond to this too with both a financial donation as well as logistical expertise to ensure equipment reached the Trust’s care homes as quickly as possible. The staff in these homes are doing an outstanding job caring for people in the later stages of their lives and who are separated from their families during the current coronavirus lockdown. We hope this equipment will support the care they are receiving,” added Graham Ward, Group Forwarding Director at SEKO Logistics.

SEKO has been the primary global supply chain partner of Alexandra for five years, shipping product by ocean and air freight from source points in China and South Asia, managing consolidation at origin and operating warehouse and distribution operations for Alexandra in Hong Kong and Europe.

As part of Mi Hub, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of corporate uniforms and workwear, Alexandra has been designing and manufacturing garments since 1854 and supplies workwear and uniforms to millions of wearers across the world. In the UK, Alexandra is a direct supplier of scrubs and uniform to National Health Service (NHS) workers, including deliveries to Nightingale hospitals.

SEKO Logistics has also extended its operations for Mi Hub to ensure adequate cargo capacity for urgent shipments ex Asia, to meet new export regulations, and to expedite the processing and delivery of urgently needed equipment once it arrives in the UK.

SEKO Logistics has launched a special SEKO CARES initiative to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. In the US, SEKO has partnered with Project C.U.R.E., the non-profit humanitarian relief organization, to offer and inspire support for frontline responders treating patients affected by COVID-19. The company has donated over 240,000 masks, including 40,000 N95 respirator masks and 200,000 3-ply ear-loop masks, as well as 2,500 disposable medical bio-protective suits. It is also working to secure reusable isolation gowns as part of the global initiative.