It is the hidden engine room of NHS Grampian, where every staff member is fitted for their uniforms. But the sewing room at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is also a glimpse into the NHS’s past. The second-floor space, just above the Aberdeen hospital’s huge laundry and decked out with cutting tables and sewing machines, is one of the last of its kind in Scotland — a holdout from when every hospital or community hospital had its own.
But as ideas such as reuse, repair and recycle come back into fashion, the sewing room is proving its worth all over again. And saving NHS Grampian money “It’s all about old-fashioned repair,” says Lynn Christie, who oversees the sewing room as ARI’s linen services manager. ARI’s sewing room is the place to be for new starts No one seems to know exactly why ARI still has a sewing room when most other hospitals don’t anymore.
But though the department is smaller than it used to be (ARI once had three sewing rooms) it benefits all NHS Grampian staff even before they start work. While staff in other parts of the country must pick a uniform from the standard NHS sizes (extra small to 5XL), everyone who works for the health board is individually measured in the sewing room so they can have their uniform ready for when they start work. It’s a massive undertaking — more than 2,000 staff join every year — but one that the sewing room takes pride in.
In fact, there’s only two main headaches around here. The first is pens left in uniform.
