New NHS uniforms

[Roz446]

We’ve just had to order our new NHS uniforms, none of us very impressed with the grey (postman blue)outfits which are replacing our existing royal blue dresses. Has anyone had these through yet? When I first qualified nearly 20 years ago our uniforms were lovely and have gradually gone down hill since, who chose grey for us?? (just a disclaimer to say I know this isn’t the most important topic in the country/NHS at the moment)

oh no, I was very confused on the measurement guide as however I edited my measurements it still said it would be very loose fitting around the chest and tight fitting around the hips or something like that? Basically everything seemed to be designed to be very out of proportion. I tried to equate the recommended size into an equivalent British clothing size, the only thing online I could find suggested the size the site recommended to order equated to a 16-20 (I’m a 12-14!) so I’ve ordered a size below and hoping not too small!

I think a national uniform is a good idea and probably required seeing as health care workers and professionals seem to have a dislike of actually introducing themselves to patients and saying what they do then I think it’s the only way.

The new uniform has been designed to be gender neutral which is reality means to fit a man’s body. The dresses are awful and are not made for hips at all. Really disappointing as I need to go into trousers but I love my current dress.

My specialist blue is virtually indistinguishable from the normal blue. Which sounds petty but I thought the whole point was easy identification of roles and in emergency situations it matters. My dresses are ok but my scrubs are terrible, I look like a crumpled mess in them and the tops and bottoms which should be the same colour are different shades which just adds to the messy, unprofessional, look.

And the magnetic badges fall off all the bloody time.

Im not nhs but i have spent a lot amount of time in hopsital over the past two bloody years. The scrubs look cheap and are scruffy and don't fit anyone well. Like everyone is wearing pyjamas.

What’s a standard nurse?

I find the AHPs uniform distressing.

Everyone in magenta unless you are OT/PT. I would struggle to remember which shade of blue trim is looking at my food intake and which at my feet.

And OTs and physios look the same from a distance. I mean, nobody recognises OTs in a hospital anyway. They assume we're physios - and that's with green trousers!
My mil - who knows what I do, assured me she saw 2 different physios for her hip replacement. One gave her exercises. The other, the physio with the green trousers, gave her equipment. 🫣

We've also been threatened with new uniforms. Apparently it's a cost saving measure. It's cheaper to provide everyone with trousers and tunics than not. I'm not sure how buying something rather than nothing saves money.

I prefer no uniform. I work in schools. I like the kids I work with not to be othered bully someone who looks clinical.

You also shouldn't wear clinical uniform out in public. If I run out of play dough I can currently nip to Tesco between schools and buy more. I in a uniform, I'm stuck. I mean, I could take it off and go in my underwear? Change my clothes in Tesco carpark and then go in?

I agree the new uniform introduced by our Trust is awful. The dresses are too tight on the hips for most women, the tunics are straight up and down and have wide necks that expose too much skin. Also if you lean forward in the tunic you can see straight down the front so a cami is going to be necessary. As someone has already said, they look like badly fitting pyjamas. And don’t get me started on the huge waste of money. Admin staff haven’t been given anything so not sure what they are supposed to do.

The yellow magnetic badges are another pet hate of mine, I don’t particularly like the idea of a super strong magnet attached to my chest all day, I tried to ask if could swap for a pin one but apparently not

Gosh, we ordered ours ages ago and luckily they’ve not arrived yet, hopefully the consignment will somehow disappear into a black hole before it arrives, cannot understand why money spent on them when trust says in financial trouble. Am extra top underneath is the last thing we’ll want to be wearing come the summer when sweltering in 30c heat

Yes I agree, not sure how replacing everyone’s perfectly good current uniforms is a cost saving measure. In 2 minds regarding uniforms, as a student it wasn’t the trend for community midwives to wear uniforms but then since qualified trust policies seemed to go back to uniforms for community staff. Our own clothes were more comfortable, especially in the heat of summer and could just pop to shops after work etc but then expense and hassle of trying to find the appropriate outfit to wear each day. I think colleagues, wider team and management etc had more respect for our role as autonomous practitioners when we didn’t wear uniforms, now we’re just seen as another cog in the wheel. I think families too, viewed us more as real people

One hospital I worked in had epilates with the job role
on, this seemed to work quite well and looked very smart

@Trundlingalong26we had that for a while. Everyone wore stripy tunics. (That were really flattering to the figure) and coloured epilettes. With a stripe on for unqualified. They had posters to identify who was who. It worked well. Didn’t last long though!

I find the new scrubs comfy but they are definately cut for a man..

And it’s seen as progress as always 🤦🏻‍♀️ like the schools that insist girls now wear trousers