Your new uniform?
Published: 11 May 2009
A Uniform Approach?
Read the RCN Students speech delivered at RCN Congress 2009 by Damian Ronksley, Yorkshire & The Humber Representative for the Association of Nursing Students Executive Committee.
Congress; the professional image presented by nursing staff is a critical component of the way nursing in general is regarded by other health care professionals, nursing colleagues, members of the public and most importantly our patients.
There is increasing evidence around the UK that a national uniform for clinical based practitioners helps to promote a more professional image of nurses and other health care staff. Uniforms vary widely and the uniform of a band five nurse could be the uniform of a domestic in a neighbouring trust. Patients need to be able to easily identify who is caring for them at any one time, and too often similar uniforms confuse patients, making it difficult for them to distinguish between different members of the health care team.
A national uniform would give nurses a recognisable identity and pride, which would promote public trust and confidence, and would most probably enhance the interpersonal relationship between nurses and their patients. There is also a suggestion that a national uniform will enhance security, as certainly in Scotland's case, any supplier will be limited to only supplying the uniform to the NHS.
Workplace regulations state that where an employee has to wear a uniform for work, suitable and sufficient changing facilities and secure storage facilities, should be available. Also where work is dirty or could result in contamination, showers should be provided. These facilities need to be provided for both sexes on an equal basis, and we must as a college lobby to ensure that these facilities are available to all nursing staff, including Students. As Dr Peter Carter himself has said, it is unacceptable to clean and store equipment in hospital bathrooms. How then, is it acceptable for us to get changed in toilets?
Evidence shows that hospital laundries offer a more regulated process than a home washing machine. They have to ensure that washing machines are maintained and calibrated regularly and that thermal disinfection temperatures are achieved and monitored. They also need to ensure that quality control mechanisms are in place so that clean and soiled laundry is kept separated. This is why we suggest as part of our proposal that the new uniform for England, should it be adopted, be laundered by in hospital laundry services.
Recently, there has been much attention in the media focussed on staff wearing uniform out of work, and the risk of infection posed by this. While we as a profession are aware that there is no scientific evidence to support this, we must recognise that the general public's perception is the opposite. Let's face it congress, no-one wants to think that they are being cared for by a nurse in an un-clean uniform!
Whilst taking all this into account we must also consider the important issue of wearer comfort and dignity. Currently our uniforms tend to be made of a heavy polyester cotton material which is incredibly uncomfortable, particularly on warm busy wards, and they have the knack of popping open at the most in-opportune moments.
Department of health guidance states that all uniforms should allow unrestricted movement at the shoulder, waist and hip; and postures such as bending and reaching should be undertaken without compromising the dignity of either the nurse or the patient. It is based on this, that we believe that a national uniform for England should follow the example of NHS Scotland, and be based on a theatre scrub style tunic, using the new, smart silver technology fabric.
We as a body of professional Nurses need to follow the example of our Celtic colleagues, and lobby the Government to introduce this national uniform for all clinical based practitioners in England.
Congress, thank you for listening to our proposal, and we look forward to a lively debate.