Someone berated me for asking why they are making "Scrubs bags" for the NHS

[menacingvern]

I signed up to help this person, however all they seem to be making are pillow cases for doctors and nurses to take their scrubs home.
I thought this was really unhygienic as they are going to be made of cotton.

I told her they would have to be lined with some sort of plastic to stop infection and then she called me for everything.
She has people on her page saying "My (dad, mother,son,uncle,gran.....) died I would like the sheets she died in to be made into a nice bag for the NHS workers to know how much they meant to her"
I find this a bit weird, disgusting and a total spread of corona virus.
I may be totally wrong but I would not want to touch a dead persons sheets made into a scrub bag

Wel meant as I am sure this is, please don't think your local hospital will accept anything you make! The fabric must be EN17 certified and in plain colours.

That poster is working in a GP surgery. Not a hospital.

I've been making scrubs, I seem to know an inordinate number of NHS staff, both doctors and nurses, and they've all been grateful for scrubs, scrub bags and the mask adaptors that our community have managed to rattle up. A friend who works in the hospital said the laundry service is running seven days a week and cannot keep up with demand, so even if the ones we're making just go into the rotation then it's a help. Equally, non clinical staff are wearing scrubs that they can change out of and wash at home rather than wearing theie own clothes. Everything we're making has been requested or confirmed as needed by hospitals, GP surgeries or care homes. My husband even printed visors for our local pharmacy.

Yes there are people making stuff for the sake of it, but a lot of these groups are carefully coordinated and in contact with these settings to discuss what is needed and what isn't and what can and cannot be used.

Wel meant as I am sure this is, please don't think your local hospital will accept anything you make! The fabric must be EN17 certified and in plain colours.

I handed over six sets of scrubs to a paediatric consultant yesterday. They were made from old bedding and bright colours and patterns. She specifically requested bright colours and patterns for children's ward. I also gave a bright purple floral set to a senior staff nurse who works in tje cather lab and angio theatre and associated wards and she was delighted and has worn them to work at least once.

So check with whoever you are planning to donate to as not everywhere wants the same things.

People on my local Facebook page have been posting photos of local hospital staff with the bags/ headbands etc that they have received from local crafters.
I’m assuming they were requested by the staff but who knows. I hope they are useful.

Now there are people making crochet hearts for the staff to wear, not sure if that going to be wanted or it it’s just a feel good thing for the makers.

A couple of weeks ago it was full of the obligatory photos of hoards of chocolate being given to staff. Heaven knows how they were expected to eat over 100 Easter eggs. A local fire brigade ended up posting that they we’re greatful that people we’re thinking of them but they would rather people didn’t give them endless chocolate and pizza but just stayed inside like they have been asked to do instead.

That poster is working in a GP surgery. Not a hospital. Which is why I said hospital and care homes etc! Trying to prevent people going to great lengths to help to find they cannot be if any use!

But, as other posters are having very different exeriences I would do as we have been, check with your local hospitals, care homes etc and ask them what they will take! Ask specifically if they need scrubs to be made of the right material!

Gosh everyone quick to assume that those sewing things are just sewing any old shit for the giggles…

If cotton fabric was an effective barrier we'd all be sewing cotton facemasks. But we're not.

There are plenty of studies that show that most of the masks that us regular Joes are wearing are only good enough to stop people sneezing on stuff. And according to the study by Cambridge Uni they can be up to 80% effective in stopping the virus, and usually around 50% according to what they're made of.

The drawstring bags and scrubs sound great, but so far where i live it's mostly masks they'Re asking for and masks are what people are making. The various fabrics and colours look cute.

We had photos of some poor child on our Facebook being forced to hand over their Easter eggs to add to 300 others that had been dropped off.

People chuck out these statements like "the NHS doesn't want your premature baby hats" or "scrubs must be made from specific material" which in some cases may be true.

But the NHS isn't some massive homogenous whole. Every ward and unit is different. I wouldn't be wasting my time knitting blankets and hats if I thought they were going in the bin. My nurse friend who I hand them to says it's no different from parents bringing in their own clothes/blankets - and as many of these babies are prem parents are often unprepared. Similar with scrub bags, they're going directly to someone who I know well and is a hospital doctor. I messaged her yesterday and asked if she was still looking for more, she said they were. She would have had no hesitation to tell me if they were overwhelmed, or if the bags were just a bit crap.

There is however a hard-core poster type on MN who sneers at anything crafted, or handmade, or homemade. It's inferior, shoddy, cheap and nasty and all about the crafter and not about the recipient. Probably the same people who sneer about eating other people's homemade cakes or getting a homemade gift rather than a Baylis and Harding gift set.

Very few of us have the clinical skills to pitch up at our local A&E and start sticking cannulas into people. But helping in other ways is a good way too.

(And on a side note - if you can please give blood. It's still desperately needed for very sick patients.)

There is however a hard-core poster type on MN who sneers at anything crafted, or handmade, or homemade. It's inferior, shoddy, cheap and nasty and all about the crafter and not about the recipient. If you mean me, I AM one of those crafters. And I have taken on board all the advice from our local hospital about fabrics, the requests from individual workers in hospitals and care himes and have made what peole have asked for to the best of my ability. We have a number of sewing groups that are coordinatig efforts to ensure we get as much of what is asked fordone as quickly as possible.

The ONLY thing we don't make is scrubs, as our local hospital has sent out very detailed guidance. So local businesses, dressmakers, tailors etc, who have access to the right fabrics etc are making those - which we are fund raising for as the right fabric is expensive when bought by the bolt!

I didn't mean you, Samphire. I draw the line at scrubs too - leave that to the professionals.

But you know the attitude, it's all over the place before Christmas. Pitying people getting handmade, sneering about tat, saying that anything homemade will go straight in the bin. This is no different.

Oh I do know that attitude!

It's shit and the holders of it never get any of my hand made chocolates, even when they make big eyes

Fold down the top of the pillowcase. Pin it leaving a gap at either end of the fold. Tacking stitch the fold. Remove pins as you stitch. Machine or hand stitch in place the fold. Remove tacking stitch. Feed through a length of cord. Stitch in place, then use. You can double pillowcase bag if it makes you feel more comfortable.

I understand that people want to help, but I do think some of these activities are misguided.

Our local NHS trust has sent out a press release trying to discourage people from donating random food and making scrubs as it is putting pressure on staff in hospitals having to deal with the influx of items, most of which they don't want or need.

Separately I saw a woman ranting on a Covid support group about how 'ungrateful' the NHS was when they rejected the Spiderman scrubs she had made from her son's old duvet cover .

If you want to do this, make sure you join a group that has verified links with a healthcare environment which has confirmed it wants this stuff!

I've also used old cotton curtains to make gym bags and Christmas Santa sacks. They've got a ready stitched tab for feeding through a cord, great option for uniform bags.

If you call your home made scrubs handcrafted or artisan, then those sneery posters would soon get on board

I use them. I work in the community and I wear my own clothes. I strip inside my front door and bag my clothes, go and shower, then the clothes enclosed in the bag go straight into the washing machine. Mine were made by local volunteers

@ChewChewIsMySpiritAnimal When I tel them I used to make them for the posh hotels nearby I get a very swift change of mind!

I may well use Artisan on my next sewing venture though - 100% Recycled Artisan Stuff

I strip inside my front door and bag my clothes, go and shower, then the clothes enclosed in the bag go straight into the washing machine. Mine were made by local volunteers Thinking about DSis does this too, and has made bags for her colleagues... she is a teacher! Might ask if any of the local schools, nurseries etc need some. I don't think we've done that yet!

With any of these the key is to check first that what you are doing meets the needs of recipients before you make it.

I strip inside my front door

Assuming a solid door and not a glass one then?

Germs can’t pass through the cotton bag unless it gets wet - it’s not the same as being sneezed or coughed out. Well thank heavens it never rains in the UK.

Interesting posts.

I've skim read and think I've covered most...

Ward I work on (small community hospital, medical inpatient) currently has lots of redeployed staff who usually don't wear uniform suitable for current ward, so we're scrabbling to get official scrubs for them.

Everyone has access to bags to put uniforms&scrubs into at the end of shift. Big drawstring for clothes, smaller elastic for shoes, though most leave shoes at work. All cotton washable at 60 degrees, all made by ward manager's mum. As per pp, sanitise everything coming out of my pockets before putting everything I've worn on shift in the bag, put it in my normal bag to take home & throw whole cotton bag on a small hot wash before taking back in on next shift. Others have multiple bags, and put them in a sealed plastic box for when they have a full load.

Before this, we could use the NHS laundry plastic bags can go in the washing machines (and can dissolve in the machine). But as they're meant for industrial machine, people reported problems with them clogging the filter. Don't know, never used them. Cotton bags work great for me. Ditto scrubs, only ever had my own dresses, tunics etc.

Have had friend give me button head band but found it too much faff tbh!

My Trust has v well co-ordinated PPE volunteer/shortage/donation/industry effort. Feel v well supported 👍❤️

But.. Really think there needs to be more support directed towards social care, hospices and charities, esp mental health. My contacts (through volunteering) indicate things are really, really dire for them.

Please look out for local social media appeals from them. Don't forget people are dying all the time from other diseases too. Hospices don't just stop work. But their funding pretty much has. No shops, no events, no fundraising. They don't get funding from the government.

Making scrub bags is a bit of a waste of time, A pillowcase would do.

I’m making the bags. We use poly cotton do it can be washed at 60 degrees with the scrubs. A pilot case would be too big and still need a drawstring inserting. The hub I’m in has had thousands of requests from hospitals, doctors surgeries etc. They are very much needed.

Dh is a doctor and I just gave him a big pillow case with buttons and he uses that. I'm not sure what NHS workers don't have access to pillow cases...