11
Resources
April 2009 | Volume 16 | Number 1NURSING MANAGEMENT
Ask the experts
A uniform response
Next month, nurses attending RCN congress are to debate
whether a national uniform should be introduced in England
as they have been elsewhere in the UK.
The resolution suggests that uniforms should be worn by
all NHS clinical staff because they `promote the professional
image of healthcare workers and ensure patients can easily
identify the staff caring for them'.
The national uniform being introduced in Scotland this
year will do three things, ministers say: promote a coherent
NHSScotland corporate image, enable the procurement of
better quality garments that are appropriate to staff needs,
and make it easy for members of the public to identify staff.
We asked members of the Nursing Management Expert Panel what they thought.
Where a national uniform has been introduced, how has it affected staff and service users?
Would such a uniform be suitable for staff in all care settings, including those working in the
community? Should nurses at all levels have a uniform?
Sandra Rote, director
of clinical development
and lead executive
nurse at Worcestershire
Primary Care Trust
The debate about establishing
a policy on uniforms in a healthcare
environment is one of the most difficult a
nurse director is likely to have.
I fully support the development of a
national uniform. At present, anyone walking
around a hospital is met by a range of shades
and spots of different uniforms, and this is
confusing for patients and visitors. We need
to have clearly identifiable uniforms that
allow patients and the public to differentiate
between staff members easily.
Libby McManus, chief
nurse at York Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
As a chief nurse, I have
become the lead in issues
concerning clinical uniforms
and overall standards of dress. I am
passionate about ensuring that we all display
a professional image irrespective of our
profession or background.
Having witnessed many types of staff,
including doctors, who wear not uniforms but
what I consider to be inappropriate clothing
such as low-slung jeans exposing flesh both
front and rear, and flip-flops, I decided that
we should set our standards higher and hold
individuals to account.
In an acute trust such as that at York,
all nursing and midwifery staff at every level,
including me, should have a clinical uniform
and be seen to wear it in clinical areas.
Derek Barron, associate
nurse director for mental
health at NHS Ayrshire
and Arran
In Scotland, most front line
staff who currently wear
uniforms are looking forward to the new one.
To date, we have not received our new
uniforms but we hope that the cost benefits
promised are realised.
After all, the provision of uniforms involves
public money, which should be targeted at
direct care wherever possible. Nurses are
not in a fashion parade; this issue is about
practicality and functionality.
The debate on where uniforms should
be worn is well rehearsed. Some people
are adamant that uniforms are a barrier to
therapeutic relationships, although this view
does not seem to be backed up with evidence.
I think all clinical staff should wear
uniforms if most of their work takes place
in inpatient settings, but it seems to make
little sense for community psychiatric staff to
wear uniforms too.
Caroline Becher, director
of nursing and quality,
and Caldicott guardian,
at Queen Victoria Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust,
West Sussex
While the ward sister uniform colour is
predominantly navy blue, the appearances
of many other nursing uniforms fluctuate so
much that patients must become confused.
However, I am more concerned about staff
looking well groomed and having a professional
attitude than about the colour of the tunics they
wear, although I can see a need for national
debate because there may be identifiable risks
concerning temporary staff.
Julie Pearce, director
of nursing, midwifery
and quality at East Kent
Hospitals University
NHS Trust
It is clear from recent local
consultation that most patients like to see nurses
in traditional and easily identifiable uniforms.
The trousers and tunic uniform option
appears unattractive to many patients, though,
on the grounds that it is not `smart', and
patients who responded to our consultation
prefer to see female nurses in dresses.
A national uniform would not necessarily
address the confusion caused when members
of occupational groups outside the NHS wear
`nursing style' uniforms.
Nicki Patterson, co-director
of nursing workforce
planning and development
at Belfast Health and Social
Care Trust
Northern Ireland has not
yet introduced a suite of national uniforms
although plans to do so have progressed and a
regional business case is currently being made.
The key is to have a suite of uniforms
that can promote a corporate identity but
is tailored to suit the needs of particular
staff groups and settings. An appropriately
designed uniform would be suitable for staff
working in the community, for example, who
need an outdoor coat as part of this suite.
PaulStuart

Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 15Page 16Page 17Page 18Page 19Page 20Page 21Page 22Page 23Page 24Page 25Page 26Page 27Page 28Page 29Page 30Page 31Page 32Page 33Page 34Page 35Page 36Page 37Page 38Page 39Page 40Page 41Page 42Page 43Page 44 Produced by PageSuite