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Nurses across the country have given their views on uniform design in a joint survey by the Royal College of Nursing and Alexandra.
Over 1,300 nurses and allied health professionals took part in the questionnaire which focused on the functionality and wearability needs of nurses working in a wide range of healthcare settings.
Charlotte Auger, lead technical designer at Alexandra, said: “As a design team we are so pleased with the level of engagement received from the RCN community which has given us a greater understanding of how hard working the nurses uniform has to be.
“Nursing is a physically and emotionally demanding profession and all nurses deserve a uniform that really meets their everyday needs. Working in partnership in this way we are able to really understand the day-to-day restraints of the medical working environment that will help to inform and engineer the future of our design and products.”
A group of nurses taking part in the joint survey have also agreed to provide uniform insights on an ongoing basis with Alexandra through a dedicated design focus group.
Phil Smithers, sales and marketing director at the RCN, added: “We are delighted to have partnered with Alexandra on this survey. We all know just how important the functionality, look and feel of the nursing uniform is and it’s great that the views and insights of nurses across the profession are being sought.”
The joint RCN and Alexandra survey comes in the wake of a national debate over whether the NHS in England should follow Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and adopt a standardised, national nursing uniform.
In April, NHS Supply Chain launched a seven-week consultation into whether a national approach to uniforms should be adopted – a move which could see an end to the plethora of colours and styles used across hospital and community settings in England. Initial results suggest overwhelming support for the move.
