VOLUNTEERS have been working around the clock to redesign hospital gowns so they can be used by nurses and doctors on the front line in the fight against coronavirus.

Hundreds of people in York have been changing the design of 600 hospital gowns after York Hospital asked them to redesign hospital gowns. 

GP for Rawcliffe Medical Surgery, Rebecca Brown, has been working with dressmakers Thimbelina, York School of Sewing and Bugweed’s Fabric and Crafts - known collectively as Yorkshire Scrubs - to make hundreds of pieces of PPE equipment for staff at the hospital.

Dr Brown received a call on Friday from York Hospital to say that  600 hospital gowns were of the wrong style and could not be used. She said: “They had seen how well everyone at Yorkshire Scrubs had been helping and asked if we could do anything.

“They are dangerously low on gowns at the hospital. It’s insulting and frankly worrying that some of my colleagues could be working without them so we have been working round the clock over the weekend to try to get the gowns mended and back to the hospital.”

Dr Brown added that a team of 200 volunteers had helped with the gowns and scrubs.

She said that 35 of the newly-redesigned gowns were sent to the hospital on Sunday for testing, adding: “The hospital is happy with the designs and we plan to have delivered all of the gowns to the hospital by Wednesday.

"It has been the craziest weekend, with all the volunteers giving everything to help get the gowns ready as soon as possible.”

She gave thanks to York dressmaker, Sarah Ashton, who helped come up with the new and correct design for the hospital gowns, as well a host of other volunteers.

Sarah said: “I think it’s so important to help where we can. NHS staff are some of the key workers working extremely hard for us during this difficult time, and there are enough of us to pull together and make this happen.”

Simon Morritt, chief executive of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who has been sewing for the NHS in York and North Yorkshire. We couldn’t ask for more support from our local community.”

Meanwhile, Rebecca Butler, owner of Bugweed’s Fabric and Crafts, is appealing for donations towards purchasing fabrics to make more scrubs for the front line.

She said that they had received calls from the hospital for more, after donating 250 over the weekend.

To donate towards the cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/yorkscrubs