Key workers in uniform post shift in shop- what on Earth are they thinking of cross infection wise?

[Teentitans15]

Just seen a report (think on the daily mirror?) that a man was verbally offensive to a nurse going to the front of the queue.

Now that is appalling - no one should be verbally offensive to any one - let alone a key worker in these days.

But she is quoted as saying she was in her uniform as she had just finished a 6 hour shift. Surely it is a basic cross infection rule that you don’t wear uniform from a shift to a public place? That must breach so many cross infection rules?

I don't get why she was allowed to jump in the queue of 20 people in the first place? Didn't know Aldi had that rule n place. Six hours is not a gruelling shift IMO.

The article is about her being shouted at. Aldi seem happy for essential workers to go in front but I dont think that going in uniform is a good idea. You just need to show id.

More than happy to have key workers put the front and def not appropriate for anyone to be verbally assaulted. It was just the uniform bit that threw me.

And thinking about it if medical professionals say it’s okay provided you keep to the rules and keep 2 metres away - surely that’s not great. They should also be keeping to the rules of cross infection.

If they did then if someone inadvertently breached the 2 metre rule (elderly but not shielding for example who simply forgot ), they may well think oh well they’re a medical professional so at least cross infection rules have been followed.

It's always been the "rule" in my hospital not to go anywhere but to and from work in uniform. I don't work there anymore, but doubt it's changed. Not just for Covid-19, but thinking of all the the other germs they might be carrying around makes me itch.

I’ve seen people do it at first I thought the person may work in a care home. Sometimes it’s unavoidable to wear a work uniform as home care assistants maybe buying groceries for the service user or something like that. I know they don’t get much time allowance to go from each persons house.

It is avoidable. You wear a coat over your uniform.

My paramedic friends wears uniform to the shop but she goes BEFORE her shift and her uniform is washed after shift.

If she didn’t go before a shift she’d never get to shop.

I don’t really agree with someone having to wear a coat if they don’t want to. Why should they to please you?

You can’t always assume maybe it could be a sunny day and they are rushing around, having a bad day. They shouldn’t have to cover up with a coat because of narrow minded people.

I don’t really agree with someone having to wear a coat if they don’t want to. Why should they to please you?
It's not to please random people. It's to prevent cross infection. They may pick up something in the supermarket and pass it to a vulnerable person. Or vice versa.
wearing a coat tase away a fair biota the risk.

*My paramedic friends wears uniform to the shop but she goes BEFORE her shift and her uniform is washed after shift.

If she didn’t go before a shift she’d never get to shop*

Does she not get any days off? Genuine question, not being goady.

Community nurse?

There was a Facebook post This week from our local nhs trust making people aware that community based healthcare workers are Out and about in uniform and are perfectly safe to be doing so, so please don’t abuse or assault them if you see them.

What kind of world are we living in now when posts like this are required?

I am not asking staff to cover up to please me. Its infection control that is important. Why do you think the NHS uniform policy have always specified no uniforms off site for decades. Why do you think district nurses traditionally wore navy coats or staff wear scrubs in infection outbreaks. Its not just covid that puts people at risk. Tough if its a sunny day. Wear a lightweight mac.

Our trusts current policy is for everyone to travel to and from work in their own clothes and change into uniform on site. That includes covid and non covid ward staff, outpatient services and even admin.
Its unacceptable to go straight to the shops in uniform during a pandemic.
It is an infection risk and also unprofessional

Been a nurse 22 years a few points. No nurse should wear uniform outside work. Pandemic or not. I did a 6 hour shift on a ward 2 weeks ago and nearly quit the job after so 6 hours can be gruelling.

@Random452 a coat won’t stop Cross infection.
What ever items the person in uniform will be touching will be the exact same with or without the coat on via their hands.

that link didn't seem to work but the uniform info from the royal college of nursing is on that site

@Random452 a coat won’t stop Cross infection.
What ever items the person in uniform will be touching will be the exact same with or without the coat on via their hands

It takes away some risk of their uniform being contaminated and then that uniform contaminating someone else (if they go before work). But health staff generally shouldn't be going shopping in their uniform, and the vast majority of places have a policy saying that.

greenlorry, do you think it will be the same, staff should of washed their hands or be wearing gloves, but if they are covered up their uniform won't touch anything on the shelves, they won't be touching their uniform while out or the uniform pockets.

i change after every shift in community nursing, we have no covid positive patients in our case load currently but still wouldn’t risk it

I wasn’t suggesting people should walk around in their uniform. Community nurses have no excuse to be in their uniform as their role is different.
However I do think a carer who has to go to the supermarket for her service user is not breaking any company rule as far as I’m aware they allow this. The carer would of touched their own uniform and then they will touch things around the store with and with the coat on.
I wasn’t promoting nurses to do this but I can understand how a carer has to wear their uniform when they are on limited work time.

We've always been allowed to travel in uniform but go nowhere else. Now we've had really mixed messages about wearing uniform to and from work. They keep changing the policy. I absolutely hate having to wear my own clothes to work.

Nurses, ambulance crews, care home workers - they're all walking about the park and shopping in uniform around here. Those in ambulance greens are the worst for cutting you up and reaching across your personal space to get something from the shelf.

I worked in the food industry for several years, with very strict rules on dirty vs. clean areas (even colour-coded chairs in rest areas), changing and showering, etc. Is this going to be the E.coli lesson for health and social care where things have to change permanently?

NHS should provide proper changing facilities/showers like they used to do in the old days.
They should provide more uniforms to each hcp so they can be laundered in-house -like they used to do.