Political badges should be banned from NHS uniforms

[Ihatetomatoes]

New report says political badges such as Pro Palestine shouldn't be worn on NHS uniforms. It's led to increased antisemitism and fear amongst Jewish patients.

Also NHS uniforms not to be worn on protests.

This report makes a number of suggestions and in my opinion must be implemented. All political badges off NHS uniforms. No NHS uniforms on protests such as pro Palestine. It contributes to racism and fear.

The NHS should treat all patients equally and individuals political opinions shouldn't be pinned on their uniforms.

except its not Wes Streeting any more!

Fairly confident people have been wearing trade union lanyards or pins for many years in the NHS. Likewise poppies and religious symbols all of which can be political. I haven't seen anyone day they'd be unable to work without their badge, the argument seems to be that those who oppose a pin feel it makes staff unable to do their jobs without explaining why.

We included trade union badges/lanyards in with professional organisation badges as being a member of a trade union says nothing about one's political leanings. Similarly religious symbols are protected although they must be worn in a way which complies with infection control and general health and safety.
Times do change though. I don't think it should be a problem for people of goodwill of any race, colour or creed, to remove problematic badges. I am not aware of any religion that requires the wearing of a symbol on a badge or lanyard.

Well, they didn’t years ago.
And there is no need for them. So shouldn’t.
Doing something doesn’t make it right.

I realise ! Forgot he had resigned….

For those who work in healthcare and want to wear a badge (of any kind) do the comments from people saying your actions are intimidating, make you question your decision?

I.e. was it a choice made without realising the impact on others or would you continue irrespective of the impact on your patients?

Trade unions are absolutely political, particularly in the NHS, no? There are many patients who don't support doctors strikes for example, wearing a trade union badge is a statement. Likewise, religious symbols are considered political choices by some, which is why I think a lot of things could get caught up in the definition if we're going by the intent assumed by someone else rather than the intent of a worker. If someone can wear a religious symbol what difference does it make by not being on a lanyard?

It hasn't really been properly explained why it's intimidating except for people assigning nefarious intentions to the wearer rather than the well known stated reasons people wear them which is to do the opposite of intimidating people. A lot of opposition to them reads as people finding a signal of support for a group inherently intimidating to them as someone who isn't a member of that group. There's also a bunch of religious or cultural items that people claim to find intimidating, such as headscarves. So just because someone can find a headscarf intimidating it should be restricted? The article even emphasises the most sensible solution is a reasonable behavioural standard, which makes sense. Someone wearing a pin isn't them "acting" intimidating, provided their actions of treating someone are professional and kind.

ETA, you're also ignoring the many people who find the badge supportive and makes them seeking healthcare less intimidating. Why could it not be that someone is continuing to wear a pin that they know has made members of their community they care for feel safer and welcome rather than saying they're just choosing to ignore those who have an issue with it as though there's no other benefit?

Actually I think wearing a badge doesn’t make someone less able to do their job. But it also doesn’t make them more able. It won’t change their abilities at all. But it will hurt me - or many other people depending on the badge. So if anyone would be frightened or triggered by a white power badge or an English flag or an anti gay pin or whatever really, that must be more important than a fashion choice by a healthcare professional.

If you allow ‘some’ badges where does it stop? Can I wear a badge saying ‘I hate redheads’? Is that okay? (It’s a lie, I think red hair is gorgeous).

You don’t have to empathise with how frightened I am just now but you could try to sympathise. I promise I don’t run around my workplace or city ripping flags off of doors and buildings and people but I think it’s really different when it’s someone in a position of trust.

Can you explain how an explicitly anti gay pin is equivalent to an LGBT one? I wasn't under the impression an LGBT symbol is anti straight? Likewise, white power is a white supremacist phrase, do you genuinely believe that a BAME or BLM pin is being anti white in the same way white supremacists are racist? It seems like your bringing UK a strawman to insinuate a Pro Palestine badge is an something badge rather than being exactly what people stare it is- a show of solidarity for people in Palestine. If I wear a star of David am I being inherently anti Muslim? I would think that's just as absurd and offensive assumption.

More importantly badges that are pro LGBT or support BAME causes are in keeping with the values of the NHS of inclusion. How is an I hate redheads badge on keeping with those values? Or a pro racism badge? Surely you do actually understand how they're not the same.

I do sympathise with you, if anything I think the badges surely help you in identifying people you don't personally feel safe with.

@Fancythatfancyhat a pro Palestine badge can imply criticism of Israel and by extension Jewish people.

Jewish people living in the UK obviously shouldn’t be blamed for what is happening in Gaza but life isn’t always that straightforward. As we see from the rise in antisemitic attacks since 7/10/23.

Some do wear them and what's wrong with that? I don't see an Israeli flag to mean anti Palestine anymore than the reverse. I also don't believe pins or badges "make" people feel uncomfortable, if you feel uncomfortable because you assume a show of solidarity for one group means the person will actively discriminate against another group then I think those people would still assume that about other characteristics of the wearer.

no. Anybody of any political leaning can and does join a trade union and for many different reasons including some excellent discounts. The discussion on this thread is about badges and lanyards.

It doesn't imply that at all, you wanna read it as that sure but it sounds like by that logic you conflate all solidarity with palestinians, especially the swathes of Palestinian healthcare doctors who have died, as critique of Israel meaning no one can support the Palestinian people in any way? To then conflate critique of Israel with Jewish people "by extension" is a conscious and illogical choice. How are Jewish pro Palestinian criticising Jewish people? The conflation of Jewish people and the Jewish religion with the actions of a state/army is antisemitic so I'm not sure why you're doing that. I'm also not sure where I said or anyone's pin said that a Palestinian flag meant that Jewish people are to blame for what's happening in Gaza - could you quote where you saw that?

Fine. Change my pin to ‘pro brunette’ then. Or ‘pro white’. Maybe a pin that says ‘happily heterosexual’. It doesn’t have to be ‘anti’ anything to be aggressive and problematic.

I don’t care what a doctor thinks about Ukrainian politics so would say you can keep that to after work. I don’t see what positive impact it could possibly have to remind everyone you feel whatever way about an unrelated topic.

I am however 100% sure that the small possibility of frightening or othering a person here in the UK is much more important than sending ‘solidarity’ to strangers who will never see this pin anyway.

Do you think the people who only join for the discounts are wearing the pins and lanyards then? I don't think they but in which case, maybe you don't need to worry about anything being a political expression. Maybe the pins people are assuming mean the HCP is going to harm a subset of patients are just random pubs they got for free?

@Fancythatfancyhat you are arguing with lots of people on this thread that pins/badges don’t matter to you when they are trying to tell you they matter to some people.

Even if they don’t matter to you, knowing that some people get upset by them, why would NHS workers wear them? It’s a lack of empathy about patients who may have sensitivities. It’s not that hard not to wear a political badge to work surely.

Strawman though...unless brunettes are actually systemically disadvantaged in some way? Likewise, when when was society not allowing people to be heterosexual? I must have missed the recent fight for straight marriage in the last few decades for example. Can you tell me whether "pro whiteness" is universally recognised as associated with white supremacists or has there been some systemic racism against white people we all missed? And where are these in keeping with the NHS values as an organisation? Do you know of any white pride staff networks? You're just repeating Peters logical fallacies here rather than engaging in any of the questions I've asked about your viewpoint.

Whether someone is worn for solidarity or not it could still possibly frighten or other people, I don't think that means we should police what people wear provided they are in keeping with the organisations values and are treating people with respect. You said you believe a Palestinian flag pin wearer may harm you, what about another patient who assumes that just from someone wearing a hijab - can we justify banning hijab? What if as a Palestinian patient a doctor in a Kippah scares me ? Do you think it's more reasonable to support patient choice to be seen by a HCP they feel comfortable with while also allowing people to wear items some take issue with as long as they're behaving professionally?

I'm saying by that logic not just badges upset people. Religious symbols upset people, support of unions and strikes upset people, hair colour can be seen by some as a political affiliation and upset people so where do you draw the line- just badges? Can I wear a hijab with Palestinian colours? What about a tattoo of a peace symbol?

You're also another poster completely ignoring the reason people have states FOR wearing them which is there are many patients it does the opposite of upset. For many it makes them feel safe and like their HCP understands where they're coming from. Theres also thousands of HCPs wearing nothing for anyone upset by a pin. Why do the only people who matter are those who don't want to see a lib and have plenty of other people to see? Why does the mum who thinks a BAME badge is virtue signalling trump the black pregnant mother who may feel safer with a midwife with that badge?

The fact that they’ve got away with it till now is indicative of where the country is at the moment. But if I were an identifiable Jewish person, I can tell you that even if the badges disappear, the fear would still remain regardless, as to whether I was being singled out for sub standard or even compromising treatment.

But why do you think you should get to upset some patients? You're not there to upset them, you are there to treat them.

Strange you accept that a badge can make some NHS users feel like the HCP knows where they are coming from but don’t accept that it can make others feel like the HCP wouldn’t empathise with them.

In the NHS we don’t want only some people to feel like their healthcare provider is on their side. We want everyone to feel valued equally.

I say this following examples given from certain doctors themselves who have publicly stated they would refuse to treat a Jewish person. Those are the few who have come out and stated it, not the ones who don’t wish to jeopardise their positions.