Working with the hospital’s procurement team to make sure that the items were made to a high-end specification for use in the hospital, the gowns were manufactured by the team at DFS’ upholstery factory using materials sourced and paid for by the furniture company.
Local resident Sam Foster has worked with DFS to coordinate the donation effort in a show of support for her sister, Suzanna Cullum, who is a Sister on the Assessment and Treatment Centre at Bassetlaw Hospital.
Ken Agwuh, Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals said: “On behalf of the Trust we would like to thank Sam, for her efforts in getting the ball rolling with this donation, and the team over at DFS who donated the material, their time and their expertise. The gowns are a welcome donation to our stock of Personal Protective Equipment available to our colleagues to help us keep them safe.”
Sam contacted Harvey Ellis, Manufacturing Director at DFS with her proposal for the gowns and delivered the package of 1,000 items of Personal Protective Equipment to the hospital once they were made. Sam said: “I wanted to do something to help my sister and her colleagues through this challenging time and sourcing some Personal Protective Equipment was the best way I could think of to keep them safe. DFS have been amazing with their support and we couldn’t have done it without their generosity. We hope it makes a difference.”
Scott Fishburn, DFS Chief Operating Officer comments “With our headquarters based in Doncaster we were honoured to get involved and contribute PPE to our local hospitals. I’m so proud of our team of volunteers in our upholstery factories who turned their skills to making gowns during lockdown. We’re in awe of the relentless hard work the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals team is doing and the least we could do is help to keep them as safe as possible while they look after our loved ones”.
If you would like to support Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals, you can find information about their charity at dbth.nhs.uk/charity.
Photo shows: Sam Foster and her daughters delivering the gowns to Doncaster Royal Infirmary