Is sewing for the NHS actually worth it?

[Sometimenever100]

Ok so I have seen many people on fb and friends sewing gowns / hats / scrubs for the NHS out of sheets, old curtains etc.
Whilst these look so clever and I am super impressed by the sewing skills are nurses actually going to be wearing these? I thought all PPE had to be approved, waterproof etc to be used? As nice as these look and extremely well intentioned are most of these going to end up in a pile and thrown away?
I have a relation who is a senior nurse. She says in her hospital they wouldn’t wear these. PPE is only worn once and thrown anyway but needs to be approved before used i.e approved supplier?
Just can’t believe that hats and gowns made from old curtains would be used in a professional capacity?

[MyMagicStars]

@huffaloopa that is amazing! I can’t sew well enough to contribute, but would be happy to buy some fabric or materials if you have an amazon wish list?

[Nonotthatdr]

GP trainee here. Yes please to scrubs. Ours are being made by the local WI. It’s not ppe as such but sensible washable short sleeved clothing we can wear under our disposable ppe and then change before we travel home so we don’t infect people on the commute. Some are in very retro patterns! Not got a hat yet but getting rather fed up of having to wash my hair daily so going to try and make one!

In many countries all healthcare professionals wear scrubs, it seems sensible not to wear clothing that can’t be cleaned properly and also too and from work. It used to be done more in the nhs too I think but cuts closed hospital laundries and changing rooms became offices. Hopefully managers now realise that places for staff to change and have clean uniforms are actually important.

[ListeningQuietly]

PS
the group I saw were chatting to hotels about their stacks of old sheets .....
good quality cotton in sensible sizes .....

reusing existing materials HAS to be better for the planet and the people

[ListeningQuietly]

Care home staff
Home visit care workers
Day hospital staff

are all DESPERATE for PPE

check what they need but they seem to be extremely glad to take locally sewn stuff to leave the medical grade stuff for hospitals

[madcatladyforever]

Also we're wearing orange ones with pineapples on and all sorts, we like them and it cheers the patients up.

[madcatladyforever]

Yes it is useful, we've been provided with lovely scrubs by people sewing for us, I need to change up to three times a day and I'm sick of wearing tatty old scrubs that are too tight and too short exposing my fat bum.
We were sent a whole storeroom of lovely colourful scrubs last week and have pulling each other hair out fighting over them like beasts
It's wonderful being able to have something comfortable to wear that looks nice and it means I can have a shower at lunchtime and change.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

Glad to hear they are being used.

[huffaloopa]

I help run a group, we have made over 15,000 items, including over 1000 sets of scrubs and we still cannot keep up with demand. GPs, health visitors, community Carers, mental health nurses all need scrubs and cannot get them through their usual channels.

There is a certain level of keeping people busy, amongst the hundreds of professional seamstresses we have in the group who are churning out scrubs, we do have vulnerable shielded older people, who get valuable interaction (albeit through the internet) in a time where they would have been desperately lonely. However, our less able sewers have made over 4000 bags for nurses to hold their scrubs in and also as bags for patient's belongings.

If you are interested, Kate Humble has filmed our group and the resulting story will be on Countryfile this Sunday. A great example of a community really pulling together to do their bit.

[AnnaMagnani]

Whereas we have gratefully received the 3D printed visors as otherwise we weren't getting any and we are treating COVID patients.

[Othersvoices]

...in hospitals that is!
In care homes yes.

[Othersvoices]

I really don't think they are being used.

[TinnedPearsForPudding]

We had a load of homemade plastic face visors dropped off to my A&E last week - they seemed to be plastic from the old style overhead projector sheets, stuck with glue onto a big electric band to go round our heads. We will not be wearing those.
To be fair, my hospital trust has been excellent & managed to avoid any obvious shortage of PPE (no idea what their stock levels are like behind the scenes but there's always enough for us).

[OneMomentInHistory]

They definitely are being used, but people need to be clear they're making the right thing. My partner had to deal with someone very upset that the hospital didn't accept the masks she had made... whereas scrubs, bags and headbands they've enthusiastically accepted. Each trust, care home, doctors surgery etc will have different needs and standards.

[Sparklingbrook]

I do have to read the words ‘local sewers’ twice though when reading about how many sets have been made.

[GherkinsOnToast]

Our local group has been asked to supply over 200 sets of scrubs for our local big hospital in th last week. All staff that previously wore their own clothes now need scrubs and they can just not supply them, with each set of scrub we provide a scrubs bag, hat and ear protector - all are made in cotton or poly cotton which is washed at 60 before delivery and ironed.

[Springersrock]

In our area there are lots of people making scrubs, the little head bands to attach masks to and the wash bags. I volunteered to help but my sewing machine packed up a couple of weeks ago and the repair shop is closed

These are all made by request, and are very much being used and worn

[Herpesfreesince03]

@DobbyTheHouseElk actually we can barely keep up with the hospital orders. We were originally making them for care homes, but we’re having to turn those down now to focus on hospitals

[Herpesfreesince03]

About half of the ppe in my local hospitals right now have been provided by the local sewing fb groups

[Sparklingbrook]

From what I have seen around here they are also making them as a result of requests.

Loads of places that wouldn’t ordinarily wear scrubs now need them.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

The group I am sewing for is responding to specific requests. Nothing is made that isn't asked for, eg '3 sets of scrubs, blue, medium'.

[Willyoujustbequiet]

My friend runs a group like this that has blown up.

She has been approached by every single hospital in our area, including the major centres of excellence. All sorts of care homes and other key worker settings. They are run off their feet and cant keep up with demand. She's been on local news. They are definitely being used.

[SpeedofaSloth]

The washing bags are being used in my Trust.

[MrsCollinssettled]

Our trust is supplying patterns and fabric to people who sign up to sew for them

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

Yes. I wonder this as I read how many more are being made every day in our village. Scrub hats, scrubs and headbands. Who is using it all? I’m convinced it’s a ploy to keep people busy and feeling useful.

[PineappleDanish]

There was a long thread about this last week. Every trust seems to be doing their own thing. A poster on that thread said that as a GP receptionist she usually just wore her own clothes, but due to Covid had been asked to switch to scrubs. So she was very grateful for any donations and she didn't care about the colour/material as she wasn't dealing directly with medical issues.

I've made scrubs bags for staff to bring clothing home to be washed.