A COMPANY located between Gillingham and Shaftesbury has been recognised by the health secretary in its mission to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to Covid-19 frontline workers.

As well as an increase in its usual manufacturing of respiratory products, during the pandemic Meditech Systems Limited shifted its focus to supplying more than one million face shields to the NHS.

To keep up with demand the company went from one shift a day to three, temporary staff were called in and more hours were spent in the warehouse.

In a letter to Meditech, Matt Hancock praised the team for its “invaluable” contribution, adding he is “grateful” for the company’s work in supporting the UK throughout the crisis.

Coleen Cahill of Meditech said the team was “thrilled” to receive the letter, adding the company has “gone above and beyond” to deliver PPE to NHS workers both locally and across the world.

She said: “During the crisis [Meditech] has just been flat out supplying the NHS. [The letter] was just nice as it is a small company but they really pulled it off.”