People need to stop knitting and donating chocolate etc our hospital!

[AuntyClockWise]

I was drafted in to help nursing staff today sort through 300 (yes, really) Easter eggs that have been donated over the past few weeks and sort these for food banks and care homes and childcare hubs. Took half a day plus lots of storage space.

A lady turned up at the hospital with 30 home made/sewn face masks. She was very angry when the main desk had to turn her away and decline the items as apparently she'd spent ages on them and had travelled a long way to get them to the hospital. Again, more time spent dealing with this person and not to mention the fact she had travelled unnecessarily.

Where has this idea come from for people to donate so much stuff to hospitals? Don't people realise that PPE has to meet a certain level of safety standard so we need to get from reliable and tested companies? Do people think that we have the space and time to deal with all the food and drinks donated?

Our hospital has put out a facebook post today to reiterate we can't accept donations like these and there are now hundreds of angry responses calling us ungrateful and that they're annoyed this wasn't said sooner as they've spent weeks knitting and sewing various things for the nurses and doctors to use on the wards.

I'm sure people are trying to be nice but why isn't common sense prevailing? Why not donate time and energy to a place which has the resources and ability to accept such donations?

Of course, I'm only able to speak for common feelings shared today in my place of work. Some other people here might say they are loving the donations.

Just wanted to suggest on here that if you are considering donating something to your local hospital, I'd suggest phoning the main desk first or sending them an email as the likelihood is that they can't accept it.

Please don't try to tell me about the supply chain of PPE as I am an expert in This area right now.

If you are coordinating it for all care homes, can you please direct some here then please.

Just for my hospice but I've been on the webinars and understand the nhs supply chain process.

I'm making scrubs bags. I know they are used and needed as they were requested by a friend who is a doctor. I make a batch and then when I'm out for my daily walk I'll leave the bag on her doorstep. No delivering to the hospital.

I have also for years been knitting hats and blankets for the neonatal unit. Again, they go directly to a friend who works there and i'll ask her what they're short of.

Not all NHS hospitals and even wards within hospitals are the same. In the other thread on AIBU which was all sneery about crafters, a poster said she worked in a GP surgery and had been asked to switch into "work scrubs" when she arrived at work - no indication that she was working in a clinical role. So if you're in an admin role, there's nothing wrong with handmade scrubs.

Also surely even a smallish hospital has 300 staff. Each takes a egg home. Job done.

But not all care homes are being supplied by the NHS supply chain. Private ones here have categorically been told that they cannot purchase any through their normal supply chains (aside from perhaps Amazon or somewhere equally as dodgy quality wise), as the NHS is being prioritised. The price of those outside of those chains has risen so much that they cannot afford it anyway. Aside from using them at work and debating whether something is better than literally nothing, as home made masks still protect others at least a tiny bit, they could wear them out shopping, and saves buying one.

When apparently nhs is so short of ppe and your crying out for it I think this is where it comes from. Why cant u donate an egg to staff

I'm a nurse in a COVID ITU and I have to admit that getting an Easter egg at the end of my shift last week was the only thing to put a smile on my face all day! They were all put on a table for us outside the changing rooms to pick up once we had all showered and were leaving shift, I really appreciated it

Many members of the public would be delighted to get double layer cotton masks, it is a bit sad that this lady was turned away.
People desparately want to help and it's all got a bit sad. In the early weeks of the lockdown I know a local business who contacted the Covid-19 ward and asked what they wanted. Diet coke and small bottles of water were requested and a definite no to chocolate.

If you're into sewing and want to be a help one thing that our sewing group was doing was making bags for mastectomy drains. Again though worth checking your local hospital would want them.

Just because it's been mentioned on social media doesn't mean that the hospital that has requested it - I agree with the OP that it's better to check with the hospital first.

My Trust had a dedicated email address that all donations are managed via
This ensures that all the different areas get a share of the treats etc

Just because it's been mentioned on social media doesn't mean that the hospital that has requested it

I agree, the hospital may not be requesting it personally. However quite a lot of the staff who work in hospitals are making pleas on social media. So it's easy to see how X who works at XX hospital posting an emotional comment about lack of PPE, would make someone think I could help.

I've been wondering about this too. Our local FB sewing group coordinator is asking for all sorts of things to be made. For instance arm protectors made of old shower curtains and rain coats - Would these really be acceptable to use in the hospital?

I can sew triple layered masks and scrub hats for instance, I know the masks can't be used in healthcare though but scrub hats maybe as they can be washed in 60C.

People can't think past themselves unfortunately sometimes.

I don’t think any of us want to be called nhs heroes and would much rather we weren’t.

Amazed anyone asking for freebies, our SM is vigorously monitored, this wouldn’t and shouldn’t be tolerated.

Some hospitals are on a dreadful state and really appreciate the gifts.

People shouldn’t feel obliged to give or do anything, I do think any gestures should be met with grace.

I do know my team really appreciated the Easter eggs. So thank you.

Re shopping - staff struggled in first couple of weeks, supermarkets are much better stocked now.

There will always be a minority who are a bit grabby/ moany (there is no need to really post a pic of you crying in your mask imo).

Most of us just want to get on with it but are appreciative of the chocolate - so thank you !

I think suggesting people call the main desk of the hospital lacks common sense.The main desk doesn't need to be clogged up with calls all day and as PPs have pointed out your hospital's view of gifts isn't shared across all trusts or hospitals.
Perhaps it would have made more sense to have stopped posting after the one on the local Facebook page.

If I wanted to help the nhs, the last thing I would do is take Easter eggs to a hospital. I know people want to help but they are being very naive.

The problem is that every time you go on Facebook all you see is posts saying hospitals are desperately short of xyz. So obviously people want to help.

People also don't instantly know that trusts are doing things differently

One of my neighbours was upset by being given the short-shrift (rather rudely) when she tried to drop stuff off at the hospital. She hadn't realised that the two hospitals nearest our village are actually in different trusts.

They are doing things very differently. One actively appealed for certain stuff to be dropped off at a certain area of the hospital. The other doesn't want people anywhere near their building and wouldn't allow Easter eggs or bunnies for staff even outside the building.

Managing this type of donations seems like a great job for a few of the 750,000 NHS volunteers.

For the love of scrubs is still getting daily requests for people to make things for various hospitals so I am sure it’s just down to mixed messages .

So, we should just step back, focus on our own families, stop the ridiculous making, gifting, clapping that achieves nothing and let the professionals get on with it, without us interfering.

^ well yes that’s exactly what we should do.

If ppl are desperate to be involved then transfer some money to one of the many charities that are on their knees atm.

My village was asked to donate treats, drinks and equipment to ICU staff at our very large local hospital.

How lovely for the woman to handmake 30 face masks. Can understand them not being suitable for clinical use, but surely the gesture could have been appreciated elsewhere.

It sounds just like a lack of communication from the hospital, understandable given the situation, but as has been said there are so many stories in the news about no PPE, it being really hard to go shopping etc and they just want to help, however misguided it seems. It sounds like it has been cleared up on social media so hopefully going forward people will donate elsewhere.

As an aside, I am a bit put out that I could have become an expert on the NHS supply chain through a few webinars rather than numerous professional qualifications and 2 decades of experience though.

I’m making scrubs. There’s a national and local website with a huge huge list of requests for scrubs.

The list length is unreal.

Our local hospital has been requesting plenty of things - from PPE, to scrub bags, to hand cream, and all donations have been gratefully received, not rudely knocked back.

Local businesses have donated food - including deliveries of cakes, Easter eggs, pizzas and all sorts.

If you can't use the donations yourselves then surely the decent thing to do is to donate them to the community - food can be given to schools that are still open, or to the local food bank or care homes.