Political badges should be banned from NHS uniforms

And maybe the Jewish person had seen how their family and friends are being treated in the UK right now.

Being treated in a medical setting by someone who is so set on imposing their politics is a negative thing. Go and protest on your own time.

And maybe the woman is concerned that someone who has the trans flag is incapable of understanding simple biology and doesn’t know the difference between men and women.

I refused certain screening for too many years because of this ideology - now anything that has been picked up is quite likely to be fairly advanced. But I guess people don’t have a right to live, as long as someone’s right to virtue signal is preserved, am I right?

I felt a lot better when dealing abroad with doctors with various religious symbols. Not always my religion but they were grounded and happy in a system of belief wider than the individual.

Well, this opens the question of equity rather thn equality...

The important thing is that they are being treated by a medical professional. That's what they're there to do. The patient needs to be treated in a respectful and professional way.

People's position on these matters may be very complex / nuanced. It is not in anyway helpful to go parading all your own opinions when they are totally irrelevant to the matter in hand

There are leading Jewish thinkers on freedom of expression! And shining examples of Jewish leadership in political protest down the ages. Stop stereotyping Jews as conservative and afraid and all identical and wanting protection at any cost.

I thought they already would be forbidden. They are a publicly funded service and must be seen to be neutral and purely focussed on care and health of their patients. It's true if someone had the opposite belief/was visibly a different religion/race they might fear ill treatment from the badge wearer.

I remember an NVQ assessor came into my workplace once to assess the young IT guy. He was wearing a UKIP badge and I got a sudden concern he might treat the lad unfairly as he was obviously from a non UK background.

I think I might have been mistaken in that case. But you just don't want to speculate that someone might treat people unequally.

Like they are being treated by a human being?

The Jewish person may be one of the many who oppose the current extremist Israeli government or even go on marches.

The woman may be queer, or have a queer sibling or parent or child.

Why is everyone so very afraid nowadays? We need to rebuild confidence that we treat each other with humanity and also do not hide the differences that make us human.

Agree it's unprofessional,I don't need to know your views on politics or sexuality or veganism or religion ,,treat ppl kindly fairly and with respect and leave your private beliefs at home.

I didn't know people did this. It's very inappropriate at work and I am assuming mine wouldn't allow it (local authority employer but a healthcare setting)
I do wear charity pins on my lanyard though. I have an NSPCC one, a poppy, Pudsey bear, a Marie curie daffodil, Alzheimer's society forget me not and currently a rainbow pin for pride month.

And if you were Jewish, would you feel the same?

Or if someone displayed a pro-Israel symbol, would you be fine with that?

So it’s okay for people to be made uncomfortable at a medical consultation for no better reason than the healthcare professional wants to show their political views?

If I go to a doctor then I just want them to do their job. I don’t want to know their views on political issues.

How is a Jewish person mean to feel if their doctor is wearing a badge saying ‘free Palestine’?

Or a woman who has gone for a consultation about something sex based when their doctor has rainbow badges/the trans flag etc?

Or, as someone upthread mentioned, a Russian person seeing the Ukraine flag being displayed by that doctor?

The only people who have no issue with it are those whose political views align with that medical professional.

None of this is relevant to a healthcare setting.

People in a healthcare setting go there to be treated. They do not go there to engage with other people's views.

I'm kind of surprised badges aren't already banned. I thought uniforms were focused on infection control and H&S. Badges, jewellery etc are unnecessary and might pose an infection risk.
I also think it's reasonable to say political statements shouldn't be worn if you work in the NHS. Same for schools. It's impossible for employers to police which badges are OK and which might be offensive so it's better to just have a blanket ban.

No public service employee should be wearing anything of any political affiliation including pride.

I am talking about a creeping attitude which is very dangerous

Respectable people felt uncomfortable? Witch burnt.
Southern States US women felt uncomfortable? Black man lynched.
Full siblings felt uncomfortable? Half sibling beaten or put out.
Etc.

Comfort does not trump all and it tends to serve repression

Personally I feel uncomfortable in a place where people are denied their religious symbols, or their visible welcome to queer minorities. At risk, even, in a society which suppresses protest about war.

Do you apply that rule content-neutrally? Or are you deciding which movements are for the ‘common good’ and permitted?

I actually think your rule is pretty good for private political expressions. Not in the workplace.

The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest single employer of migrant and foreign-born workers in the UK

So it’s really not surprising at all.

Which views would you permit though? If I’m a doctor opposed to the neo-Nazi thugs in Kiev, or the rape of our English girls by Pakistanis, or just keen that Labour or Reform or the Greens win the next election, should I be permitted to wear those badges on duty?

The only workable rule is no politics for anyone.

The patient is there to be treated. They are the service user.

Their comfort is far more important in that situation than the political views of those treating them. Those treating them can express their political views to their hearts content outside of work time.

I don't think that you or I are in a position to decide whether there is a genocide in Gaza or not.

I said, in public, and on the streets.

The right to protest is surely via the Unions. Via the sector.

Why do individual employees have the 'right to protest' as a visible group of workers, while at work?

Would this include the right for individuals to protest refugees? Small boats? The Gvt by sporting Reform badges? In the current madness I could see it happening.

My mum was a nurse from the 70s to early 2010s, she would have never worn anything other than hospital/RCN badges on her uniform- it wasn’t allowed.
The only permitted jewellery was plain stud earrings, wedding band and nurse’s watch, necklaces had to be tucked inside uniform.

They were also not permitted to travel anywhere in uniform apart from to and from the hospital.

Not sure why this ever changed and what the reason behind the change was.

I wouldn’t even wear a “political badge” to go to my work and I don’t wear uniform and am not public facing. I just don’t think it’s professional or appropriate at work

Feeling comfortable is not a right and is not always reasonable. Emotions of individuals cannot continue to distort political action for the common good or collectively organised freedom of expression.

Definitely agree. A work uniform is a work uniform – it's not a personal expression. Express yourself personally out of work time.