Healthcare Professionals. What crafted things to aid PPE shortage are welcome, and, conversely, what can't you use?

[LockdownLucy]

I'm gearing up my elderly sewing machine and having a rummage to see what I can do. What's needed?

Also. How do I even send it where it is needed?

I got a laundry bag for scrubs from a local scrubs group which was lovely. They make bags and scrubs afaik.

Absiolutely! Bags for scrubs. What about the headbands? I could easily make those but I don't know where to send them.

Lockdownlucy are you on fb .If you are put it on your local community pages. Will be lots of grateful people as those masks really do hurt your ears .

There was a thread similar to this yesterday where a hospital were asking people to STOP bringing things in- easter eggs, home-made masks etc. I'll see if I can find it.

Here it is. 15 pages long!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3886293-People-need-to-stop-knitting-and-donating-chocolate-etc-our-hospital

Don't think our hospital has had any. I think it's a lovely idea lockdownLucy

For The Love of Scrubs facebook page is co-ordinating asks and offers, to avoid the problem of unwanted donations described in that MN thread.

www.facebook.com/groups/1500699350098765/

There's also a Trello board of hospitals accepting and not accepting gear.

trello.com/b/O8zlgTnE/hospitals

(Obviously I can't vouch for the veracity of either of those sites.)

Hospitals cant accept home made items, they need to be made to particular standard and guidelines and stabilised.

This is the facebook page of the co-ordinator of the Trello board with For the Love of Scrubs:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158997339795839&set=oa.1511823855652981&type=3&theater

Please search through for your designated hospital or trust here.
These will redirect you to the trello hospital card which indicates the current accepting state of the hospital
Or look at the trello site for the live status of hospitals that are accepting. There is a search field on trello and links from the cards to the coordinating threads.
trello.com/b/O8zlgTnE/hospitals
If your hospital does not appear here is why:
In order for hospital to appear on this list, an email must be sent from the hopital trust to [email protected] Email address. This means that:
1. We have formal confirmation from the hospital trust that scrubs will be accepted by the trust. This means that the trust will not reject the scrubs and have been full briefed as to what they will receive.
2. The numbers, colours, and sizes required by the trust are captured and can be fully reported through the trello card.
3. A Suitable delivery/ donation location is able to be identified which protect both the persons making the delivery and the hospital who I'm sure do not want 100s of scrubs piling up at reception.
4. If the hospital would like to opt out of receiving scrubs, there is a direct contact link between us and the hospital.

Now that might all be fake, but the FTLOS facebook page has been operating a while now.

So it looks like hospitals, care homes and pharmacies are accepting certain sorts of homemade items. They just have to be the right sort of homemade items – which is presumably why the OP started this thread.

Headbands that you can affix masks to are going down really well in my trust at the moment. They are obviously not PPE per say so can be accepted.

@TabbyMumz it depends on the item & individual hospitals: home made masks absolutely not but the bands with big buttons to take the strain of mask elastic off the ears or scrub bags to put scrubs in then straight in the washing machine - some places will take your hand off!

I know a few people I work with have been getting scrubs made for their size exactly someone really tall and skinny, the scrubs we have are leaving her ankles bear. Also a lady quite overweight got 5 of her own and they even embroidered her initials in so they are identifiable when they come back from laundry

You need to be be on Facebook ideally. I'm on a specific area scrubs group and have been making scrubs and gowns for nhs and care homes. There's a lady co-ordinating with all the places who are putting in specific orders.

The bands with buttons have been refused from all hospitals in our area. Lots of sad fb posts from people who have made hundreds of them!!! I also wonder about the laundry bags as surely the washable uniforms need to be able to be properly washed, not in a bag in a washing machine.

I wondered about that tabby as the would be really bad for cross infection!! Shame but not surprised.

@TabbyMumz
DH uses the laundry bag for scrubs

The scrubs go in the bag and when he gets home he leaves it open in the machine, they then get washed on a hot wash just one set of scrubs and the bag plus the shirt and trousers he comes home in - as the machines virtually empty they end up out of the bag in the machine so get a thorough wash

Wonky legs.. why not just take them out of the bag then,?

For The Love of Scrubs Scotland has its own page.

www.fortheloveofscrubs.scot

They're not currently accepting new machinists for the fabric they bought.

But they are still accepting scrubs from people who can buy their own fabric.

Again, they are co-ordinating with the hospitals, care homes and other organisations to make sure items are wanted and delivered safely.

@TabbyMumz it's so he can carry them home, but once they've touched the inside bag that also needs to be washed so it's least contact solution for transporting contaminated scrubs

Another site co-ordinating wanted donations of scrubs: Scrubs Glorious Scrubs
www.facebook.com/scrubsgloriousscrubs/

BBC article explaining how non-surgical quality scrubs can be useful:

Coronavirus: Wacky and wonderful scrubs for NHS workers
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-52359124

Callum Clark, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Wexham Park Hospital, said the need for scrubs arose from concerns over doctors, who do not wear a standard uniform, "bringing the virus home to their loved ones".
He said anxiety among staff had led to supplies of surgical scrubs in operating theatres being depleted because more staff wanted to wear them.
Dr Clark said the campaign by Ms Yong to produce non-surgical scrubs provided a solution that had "snowballed" and seen the issues over a lack of supplies subside, as well as being "really heart-warming for staff".