John Lewis re-opens factory to make NHS protective gowns

Department store John Lewis has re-opened its textile factory, ‘Herbert Parkinson’ in Lancashire to make protective gowns for the NHS.

The retailer said that the factory that usually sews bespoke blinds, curtains and pillows and duvets will this week begin making around 8,000 washable, clinical gowns for the Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

John Lewis also added that it will also be donating more than 20,000 metres of cotton fabric from its haberdashery department and distribution centres to two groups making scrubs for the NHS - ‘For The Love of Scrubs’ and ‘Scrubs Glorious Scrubs’. It is expected that this donated fabric will make around 6,000 scrubs.

Stuart McDonald, head of Herbert Parkinson said in a statement: We’re all looking forward to re-opening our factory and threading our sewing machines again to play our part in helping the NHS. We expect to be able to produce around 2,000 gowns per week.

“The fabric we are donating for scrubs could have no better use than to keep people safe. Over the past few weeks, we have already donated over 400 metres of fabric to groups making face masks and scrubs for their local hospitals, pharmacies, care homes and communities. They have told us that this has enabled them to make over 3,000 face mask linings and 75 sets of scrubs.”

John Lewis to make around 8,000 washable, clinical gowns for NHS

Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust added: “We will be forever grateful for this support from John Lewis which will directly, and positively, impact on our front-line workers and patients - helping to keep them safe.

“It is clear, we can only tackle the challenges faced through utilising local channels and relationships to do so. It is this spirit, of pulling together, that has helped us to achieve so many things over recent weeks, at pace and without any outside influence. We need to embrace with open arms all offers of help and turn these into actions that support our staff and patients.”

This is the latest contribution from the department store, the retailer created a wellbeing area for staff at NHS Nightingale in London and Manchester and worked with the British Medical Association to deliver 60,000 essentials to key NHS staff.

In addition, John Lewis said that it would begin donating 250 electrical products such as coffee machines, kettles and toasters to the staff rooms and wellbeing areas at 25 acute London hospitals, and the Nightingale Hospitals in Harrogate.

Last week the retail group also launched a children’s competition to design a “super-bear” with the top design to be sold at Christmas with 100 percent of the profits going to the NHS.

Image: courtesy of John Lewis