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Comment: 400,000 Surgical Gowns from Turkey Fail to Meet Safety Standards – Time to Make in the UK!

07-05-2020   


As Fashion-Enter Ltd factory based in North London heads into fifth week of producing NHS scrubs and gowns news has hit the headlines that 400,000 gowns ordered from Turkey do not meet the required British safety standards!

The personal protective equipment (PPE) was flown to the UK by the RAF in April has since been stuck in a warehouse. According to The Daily Telegraph the government has confirmed that all of the surgical gowns did not meet the required criteria. The news is somewhat of a monumental cock-up amid claims that the NHS have been desperate for quality PPE such as gowns, scrubs, masks and gloves for over a month.

This latest news reinforces the need for quality, ethical production on home soil, CEO of Fashion-Enter Ltd Jenny Holloway comments:

As these photos (below) demonstrate UK can manufacture scrubs and gowns. On the lines we have 10,000 scrubs (20,000 garments) and 1000 gowns.  If orders were regular and we could plan production we could easily double that figure and invest in automatic cutting machines plus recruit more machinists.  Now is the time for the ‘Made in Britain’ to be flying high. With VE Day tomorrow let’s remember how great our country is.”

Jenny’s Factory is audited by Fast Forward (achieving Leading Status) and SMETA, it incorporates the Galaxius system which took four-years of development, this ensures the Factory knows exact timings and who made what stitch on a garment.

Jenny adds: “While I can totally understand why Government had to originally outsource PPE, there were many UK factories ready and willing to offer their services. Factories up and down the country have proved that speed of response can be achieved in the UK the technical skills are there, however more investment in qualifications is needed – our Fashion Technology Academy (www.fcfta.com) has demand but no Adult Education Budget to deliver! It’s Madness! So please let’s ensure we get that full refund from Turkey for the alleged short arms and incorrect fabric and invest in a new generation of technicians so shortages never occur again. Buy British and be proud!”




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