Founder's Story

“I Never Planned to Start ONCALL LONDON. This One Hospital Shift Changed My Mind.”

Three moments during a hospital shift made me question why the scrubs we wear every day had been designed this way.

By Dr Anish Popat, Founder of ONCALL LONDON

I never planned to start a scrubs brand.

I was a doctor. I wore scrubs because they were my uniform, and like most healthcare professionals, I'd simply accepted all the little frustrations that came with them.

Baggy fits. Shallow pockets. Trousers that constantly needed adjusting. Nowhere sensible to put a hospital bleep.

They were annoying. But they were just scrubs.

Until one hospital shift made me think differently.

— 01

The cardiac arrest bell went off.

Anyone who's worked on a hospital ward knows that sound. Everything else stops. You just move.

The cardiac arrest bell went off and I ran across to help. As I did, everything in my shallow scrub pockets started falling out. Pens. Bits of paper. And then my phone. I heard it hit the hospital floor behind me.

There was no time to stop. Someone was having a cardiac arrest.

When things eventually settled down, I picked up my phone. The screen was cracked.

I remember looking at it and thinking how ridiculous it was. I carried half my working life in those pockets, yet the uniform I wore every day hadn't even been designed to keep those things secure when I actually needed to move quickly.

That experience is one of the reasons ONCALL pockets have zips.

I wanted somewhere you could put the things you really don't want falling out, zip them away and forget about them. Because when a cardiac arrest bell goes off, the last thing on your mind should be what's about to fall out of your pockets.

It's a small detail. Until the moment you need it.

— 02

Then my bleep went off while I was doing a cannula.

Later that night, I was trying to put a cannula into a patient. Gloves on. Equipment around me. My hands were full.

Then my bleep went off inside one of my pockets. I couldn't see the screen. I couldn't see who had bleeped me. And with both hands occupied, I couldn't exactly start digging around inside a shallow pocket.

Anyone who has carried a hospital bleep will know how frustrating that is. And it made me think:

Why hide something you may need to see immediately inside a pocket?

When I started designing ONCALL trousers, it led to one of my favourite small details — the bleep hook. A dedicated place to clip your bleep so it stays secure, accessible and visible. No digging. No wondering. You look down and it's there.

It isn't a feature we added because it sounded good on a product page. It's there because I've been the doctor standing at a patient's bedside with both hands full while my bleep is going off somewhere inside my scrubs.

The bleep hook

— 03

And then there were the trousers.

By the middle of the shift, I couldn't stop noticing it. I kept pulling my trousers up. Walking down the corridor. Pull them up. Getting up from a chair. Pull them up. Bending down to examine a patient. Pull them up again.

It's such a small movement that after years of wearing scrubs, you almost stop noticing you're doing it. Until you actually think about how ridiculous it is. I'm examining patients, answering bleeps, writing notes, running around a hospital — why am I also having to think about keeping my trousers up?

Your scrubs shouldn't become another thing you have to manage during your shift.

They should stay where they're supposed to. Move when you move. And let you forget you're even wearing them. Because when you're looking after patients, you've got more important things to think about.

The Result

So I decided to create them myself.

I wanted to take all those little frustrations I'd experienced working as a doctor and think about how we could do things differently. Secure zipped pockets. A dedicated bleep hook. A secure, comfortable fit. Premium 4-way stretch fabric. A modern, tailored silhouette. And practical pockets designed around what healthcare professionals actually carry.

Those ideas eventually became ONCALL LONDON.

Scrubs designed by someone who knows what it's like to actually wear them. Not just for ten minutes in a photoshoot. For an entire hospital shift.

What makes ONCALL LONDON different

Secure zipped pockets
A dedicated bleep hook
A comfortable, secure waistband
Premium 4-way stretch fabric
A more modern, tailored silhouette
Practical storage for everyday clinical work

In Their Words

Real healthcare professionals. Real results.

Here's what they have to say.

Great quality scrubs! Very comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and top customer service! Highly recommend!”

I was so impressed with these scrubs; they fit perfectly, look amazing and I’ve had so many compliments on them at work, thank you guys!!”

Amazing set of scrubs - they have a nice soft feel to them and are great quality. Would recommend for all healthcare professionals!”

Finally scrubs that survive a 12-hour shift without losing their shape! The navy blue set is stunning and the four-way stretch makes such a difference when you're constantly on the move. Fast delivery too — will definitely be ordering again.”

Ordered the men's joggers and scrub top in black — honestly the best scrubs I've worn. The zipped pockets are a game changer for keeping your bleep and phone secure. Looks professional and feels like you're wearing joggers. Worth every penny.”

Used the student discount and got 20% off — brilliant. The fabric is so soft yet durable, washes perfectly at 60 degrees with no shrinkage. My whole team has noticed and several have already placed their orders too!”

I was sceptical ordering scrubs online but these exceeded expectations. The fit is perfect, the black colour stays deep even after multiple washes. Free returns policy gave me confidence to try different sizes. Oncall London have nailed it!”