The announcement was made by cabinet office minister Michael Gove.
The news comes as some industry giants race to step up ventilator supplies to help protect the NHS and save lives throughout the coronavirus pandemic, as part of the Prime Minister’s call to manufacturers.
This weekend, the first batch of the Penlon ventilator device, which has been rapidly adapted from other existing ventilator designs, will be ready for dispatch, following approval from the MHRA that it meets the necessary safety requirements.
The device is being manufactured by Ventilator Challenge UK, a consortium including Formula One teams McLaren and Mercedes, Ford, Siemens and Meggitt.
An initial delivery will be ready this weekend, with potentially hundreds more of that device to follow, alongside thousands more of other new devices in the coming weeks.
Other existing ventilator devices are also being scaled up, in collaboration with British and international industry, including products from Diamedica, Breas Medical and Smiths Group.
A number of other UK manufacturers have also started urgent production of new ventilators, designed from scratch, including Dyson. JCB is also making the steel housing for the medical device.
Ventilator Challenge UK www.ventilatorchallengeuk.com
