Political badges should be banned from NHS uniforms

Lol I didn't know that some people equate being factually correct with being pedantic.

Explains a lot about people I encounter on MN.

You have to be factually correct!

Yes common sense didn’t realise I had to be do pedantic

Gloves if hands only.
A strategically placed plaster.
Or just not appointed to a client facing role.

I wonder how they deal with tatts on forearms, given that bare below the elbows is a national requirement?

Each trust has it's own rules. Ours has 'no visible tattoos' 'no shorts, bare shoulders of cleavage' but says nothing about badges. In fact we are given badges for what are deemed worthy causes. That needs to stop.

I agree there should be no political statements or badges at work. As a civil servant who takes political neutrality very seriously I’m amazed and shocked that this was allowed - and I think they should crack down on it in schools too.

I agree this is where the nonsense of ‘bring your whole self to work’ leads to. I don’t want my colleagues to bring their whole self to work - their professional self is good and fine enough and all that’s needed.

the bare below the elbow and no nail varnish rules haven't always been a thing either. admittedly i retired in 2007 but it wasn't a rule then.

it would be difficult because of things like deoderant and clothes wash.

No it’s not banned across the NHS. Husband works in the NHS & wears aftershave every day. Maybe certain roles? I don’t know - but it’s certainly not the case across the board.

I think this is actually not true. Some NHS organisations require that any scented products used should be discrete and not overwhelming or such that it will exacerbate a patient's condition, but its definitely not banned across the NHS. Do you have proof to the contrary?

It’s always been in the dress code along with bare below the elbow , no nail varnish and uniform policy

it’s not a new crackdown

Oh great. So they can crack down on that but it’s fine to show off their political feelings even if it causes distress to potential patients? Crazy system

Perfume and aftershave aren’t permitted in NHS it’s part of the dress code

And yes - no perfume in confined spaces please.

If you work outside, fine.

When I saw this I was surprised they were ever allowed as well.

No you don't take your whole self to work. Nobody is interested, especially, in this context, your patients.

Colleagues just want you to be pleasant and do your job effectively.

I always think it's better to maintain a professional distance. That way, you don't find out things about your colleagues that you don't like (and vice versa!)

Me too. I used to work in a school and for the Alzheimer's Society and both banned any political badges. Their reasoning was that the organisation couldn't be seen as having any political bias. Fair enough imo.

I think that people who are upset and in pain don't always have the critical judgement to decide to look at the bigger picture, or to consider that the person with a triggering badge might have xyz feelings or feel whatever other way.

For me, a 'Free Palestine' badge makes me anxious. Not because I think every single person who has one is a terrible bigot who wants me dead. But because some of them are. And I have no way of knowing if my doctor is the sort who just waves a flag around and accessorises with a trendy keffiyeh, or the kind that attacks my 11 year old daughter in her school hallway, or the kind that marches around my workplace in masks telling Jews to 'go back' to Europe. So when I see a badge or a keffiyeh, I immediately start looking around and wondering if I need to be cautious, or need to be ready or need to grab my kids and go somewhere else before my daughter has another panic attack or my son runs away to hide (which has happened).

If I was at an emergency room unconscious and woke up to a Palestine badge in my face I could very easily panic which wouldn't help my health at all. If my daughter woke up and saw one, she'd immediately try to hide, she was very, very frightened at school and is in therapy now. I spend a lot of time checking insta for march info so we never, ever are surprised by one.

I think doctors and nurses have a responsibility to avoid these things. They shouldn't express political opinions that are divisive and triggering and they shouldn't wear Ukrainian flags or white power badges or anything that would make their patients frightened.

Heavy perfume can cause a problem if you are caring for people with respiratory issues.

I don’t think so. I’m a great fan of ‘treating different things differently’ when making policy.

Once you’ve got to the point in your argument where you think banning political symbols means disabled staff must pretend to be able-bodied (your earlier point), you’ve lost perspective and credibility.

Agree, but you ban all or nothing, heavy make up and heavy use of perfume can be very off putting- that has to go too.