NHS staff told to stop wearing uniforms at pro-Palestinian demonstrations

[Twiglets1]

Article in The Telegraph yesterday (behind paywall):

NHS staff will be told to stop wearing their work uniforms on marches and displaying pro-Palestinian badges in the workplace as part of a crackdown on anti-Semitism in the health service.

Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, revealed the plans as he vowed to snuff out “the appalling experiences of anti-Semitism affecting Jewish staff and patients” in the NHS.

The Health Secretary has encouraged trusts to roll out wider anti-Semitism training in the workplace. Such training has already been provided to some NHS organisations by the Anti-Semitism Policy Trust.

Following concerns over anti-Semitic activities in medical schools, Mr Streeting has said they should be adhering to wider university sector guidance on stamping out such behaviour.

In December, he vowed in The Telegraph to have medics struck off the medical register if they brought “racist or extreme views” about the Gaza conflict into the workplace.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Actions speak louder than words, which is why we are working with the NHS to put concrete measures in place to stamp out discrimination and protect Jewish staff and patients.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/10/nhs-streeting-staff-uniforms-protests/

Blimey, I’d get a bollocking if I went to Tesco in my uniform, never mind a protest march!

as far as I’m aware it’s clear in Trust policy that we cannot wear anything that demonstrates political affiliations / views on our uniforms or work clothes. I always find it tricky if a patient starts to talk to me about politics, particularly around election time.
I agree that NHS uniforms should not be worn during protests at any other time outside of work.

This ⬆️. I don’t get it either

No this is not the case. At the trust near me staff have rainbow lanyards and a rainbow edged zebra crossing outside.

A rainbow lanyard isn’t a political affiliation, it’s showing support for LGB etc colleagues.

@delightfuldweeb Why though? Yet another declaration of support for something. Frankly, I don’t want to know their views on anything except professional nursing.

When Israel stops bombing hospitals and starving the population of Gaza I might start caring about minutae elsewhere.

That's a shame you have no capacity to care about multiple things at once....

I don't think anybody should be wearing their work uniform when on a political protest in their own time. They're protesting in their own name, not their employer's.

Where is the evidence for this?
There is a huge diversity of people at those protests, including health care workers who are standing in solidarity with medical staff targeted by Israel for refusing to leave their patients behind.

Evidence for what?

Where is the evidence that protesters were happy about the 7th Oct attacks, or holding pro Hamas banners

What? There have been photos of protestors holding Hamas banners in the UK and other places, I'm surprised if you haven't seen any.

I'm not saying all protesters are happy about the 7th Oct attack but I said I don’t think you can assume that no pro Palestinian protestors were happy about the attack.

Guardian article: Police seek four people for ‘pro-Hamas’ signs at Palestine demo in London

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/27/police-seek-people-pro-hamas-signs-palestine-demo-london

Ok thank you. That's 1 out of hundreds of thousands. With the other 3 - the judge states there was no evidence of them supporting H, although they were charged with rousing reasonable suspicion.

I've been to many of these protests and not seen any of this. There are many many people there and always a huge Jewish bloc both protesting and speaking at them - and a really diverse one at that. Michael Rosen has also attended. Also holocaust survivors and descendents on holocaust survivors present as well.

I am posting this because it's so important to recognise that people are protesting because of the sheer injustice. I've always thought - would i have the guts to speak out during the holocaust and put myself at risk? And that is what a lot of people who speak out and protest are doing, health workers or otherwise - not at that scale, but speaking out can cost people their jobs.

I understand the health and safety issues with uniforms being worn outside work.

People can protest all they want @UsernamesAreTaken

There’s just no need for health workers to be wearing their uniforms.

I'd never wear my scrubs to any kind of event. The biggest problem is the potential for those who disagree to feel they can't come to me for help, which is the whole reason I'm a doctor. I don't wear any badges either; I work in ICU, my patients and their families are living through a crisis and do not need to be asked to think about my opinions about anything.

However I laughed very heartily indeed at the person who thinks we should be putting our scrubs 'in the laundry'; we've laundered our own scrubs at every hospital I've worked in for more than 15 years. Only theatre scrubs are laundered on site.

I also have zero time for the fool who judges hard working nurses stopping at the supermarket during the limited time they have to shop. Doctors who don't wear scrubs are wearing the clothes they wore to work into the shops; you'd have no idea about that. Many of us who do wear scrubs in fact change into clean scrubs for travel; again, you'd have no idea. By far the greatest exposure I have to respiratory viruses, as an example, despite putting people onto life support for them, is via the local supermarket and other crowded places where members of the public feel no qualms about coughing directory onto others etc.

Me too, I have a lot of time for him 🤞

Which in itself now shows lack of support and intimidation of GC woman and woman’s rights.
So I’m afraid the rainbow is no longer the happy image we remember it as
It is now very much a political image

Many hospitals have rainbows everywhere.
Wes needs to sort it all out.

Thanks for pointing this out @ScrollingLeaves

Nope. Against policy and would be extremely intimidating for Jewish patients .

Should we be neutral about upwards of 20000 children being bombed and buried under rubble though? This is the government controlling public sector workers so they can't go against the government's pro israel policy.

I'm guessing that's because you're not directly being starved or bombed to death. I agree with previous post which said health care workers are being directly targeted by israel and health care workers in the UK have the right to stand in allegiance with them.

I've been on the Palestine marches and there wasn't a single mention of Hamas. If you're going to call out people who think the October 7th attack was justified then also call out the zionists who want Palestinians ethnically cleansed from gaza.

Rainbow lanyards are 100% political statements. Since Stonewall shifted its focus to trans issues sadly that’s what the pride rainbow signifies to many now, that and ‘queer theory’ which has no place in the workforce. I see rainbows these days as an indicator that the person is no supporter of women, which is very sad.

Why on earth would anyone want to wear their uniform? What’s the point that they are trying to make?

That they stand in solidarity with healthcare workers that have been deliberately killed. Bombing hospitals is illegal under international law.