A group of almost 1,000 volunteers across Derbyshire and Staffordshire are firing up their sewing machines to provide members of #TeamUHDB with surgical scrubs.
The group, called ‘Derby For The Love of Scrubs’, is headed up by Verity Ruane (pictured below) from Allestree, Derby, and has already provided the Trust with 400 sets of scrubs in all sizes, colours and patterns.
After seeing the original group set up in Cambridge, Verity felt compelled to replicate the group in our region and has been blown away by the support from hundreds of volunteers:
“When I set out, I thought that we might be lucky to get 20 sets of scrubs made, but now we have almost 1,000 members in our Facebook group with around 800 of those sewing and have now donated around 400 sets of scrubs.”
The group has also been donating scrubs to GP practices in the region as well as Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
Helen Bradley, who has recently retired as Sister on the Coronary Care Unit at Royal Derby Hospital, has been heavily involved in helping Verity and the groupwith their efforts while she is isolating from home.
She said: “I had a transplant some years ago and I’ve been isolating at home since mid-March. I wanted something to do and to support my colleagues at the hospital whilst I was being shielded. If I couldn’t be there in person, then I wanted to do this for them.”
Helen’s role, along with another member, Sandra Maycock, has involved coordinating the collection of fabrics, completed scrubs, deliveries and more, and she says that everyone’s efforts have been heart-warming:
“There were lots of enthusiastic people who just wanted to help and they’ve all done marvellously, and I’d just like to say thank you to everyone for your amazing hard work, enthusiasm and positive attitude. Also to my colleagues still working in our hospitals, you’re all soldiers and warriors. Stay safe.”
Verity added that many members of the group have personal stories connecting them to the Trust, and they feel that this is a “lovely way to give something back”.
“When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had a bit of a difficult time and she wasn’t going to arrive without a lot of help. In total, I spent around a month on the maternity ward at Royal Derby Hospital. The staff were phenomenal in looking after me and my baby, and she’s 10-years-old now, so I’m forever grateful.”
“We’ve got so many personal stories so this is our chance to say thank you. We know how much you’re doing for us and everyone at home is thinking of you and we give our thanks to you all.”
The scrubs donated to the Trust have come in all shapes, sizes, colours and designs – ranging from Winnie the Pooh to Peppa Pig, which Verity hopes can bring a smile to staff’s faces at this challenging time:
“Some of our scrubs do have slightly more jazzy designs which just lightens the mood and if we can bring a smile to people’s faces then that’s an added bonus.”
Gill Ogden Deputy Chief Nurse said: “The response from the Love of Scrubs group and others who have kindly made scrubs for UHDB has been amazing. The group has liaised closely with us to ensure they meet the required specification in regards to the quality of material and sizing, and our staff have loved the variety and quality of scrubs provided.”
