MONDAY, 29 JUNE, 2020

Photograph attached: Consultant surgeon Rodney Mountain received the face coverings from Jane Keith of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design Textiles Department

Community volunteers sew 10,000 face coverings for NHS Tayside staff

NHS Tayside has taken delivery of thousands of reusable face coverings for staff which were produced as part of a local scrubs initiative.

The collaborative project between NHS Tayside, local industry, the University of Dundee and community volunteers has already seen 5,000 sets of scrubs produced for frontline staff, with 1,000 of these being made by volunteers from the local community.

Once the scrubs target had been reached, the volunteer sewers turned their focus to face coverings, making approximately 10,000 reusable masks for staff across Tayside to use when in public spaces.

The new face coverings, which were created using the bespoke Tayside Teal fabric produced by local textile company Halley Stevensons, are currently being distributed to NHS sites across Tayside.

They can be used in non-clinical areas of hospitals where physical distancing is more challenging, such as hospital shops or other communal areas, in line with new Scottish Government guidance. Staff can also wear them outside of work on public transport and in shops.

Consultant surgeon Rodney Mountain, who helped organise the scrubs project, said, “On behalf of our staff I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Dundee University scrub team, to Halley Stevensons and to each and every person who gave up their time to sew the 10,000 face coverings for us.”

Notes to editors

NHS Tayside worked with Halley Stevensons to produce large volumes of fabric at its Dundee-based factory which was used to produce 4,000 pairs of scrubs and around 10,000 face coverings.

Halley Stevensons also donated a large quantity of the fabric for community sewers to make an additional 1,000 sets of scrubs. Staff and student volunteers worked from a small industrial hub set up in the Dundee University library to produce scrubs and make up ‘scrub packs’ for local people who offered to sew scrubs at home.

Contact:

Louise Wilson

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740718