Nursing and Healthcare Uniforms Buyers Guide
NURSING AND HEALTHCARE UNIFORM BUYERS GUIDE
Your Guide to Selecting and Maintaining Nursing and Healthcare Uniforms.
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At www.bestworkwear.co.uk we stock a range of quality Nurses and Healthcare Uniforms from top brands like Co-operative Clothing and Harpoon. On a basic level, uniform should be smart, safe and practical and should provide the wearer with mobility and comfort as well as being durable enough to withstand the regular, heavy duty laundering required within this area of work.
The PPE at Work Regulations (1992) do not apply to nurses uniforms as their main objective is to project a corporate image. However, other healthcare items such as aprons, gloves and clinical masks may be considered PPE. Healthcare uniform policy is governed by The Health and Social Care Act 2008, which states that clothing worn by staff should be clean and fit for purpose and promote good hand hygiene: 'Bare Below the Elbows' is the reason that Nursing and Healthcare garments have short sleeves, to prevent soiling of the cuffs which would then recontaminate sanitised hands.
Styles Available:
Our two most popular products are the Zip Front and Stud Front Tunics which are available in a variety of popular colours. Also available are Mandarin Tunics which feature a stand-up collar and offer a fantastic choice of colours. The Mandarin style is also available for men. Nurses Dresses are available in Stud Front and Zip Front options and in the classic striped style. Our Unisex Tunics and Tabards are great options for Healthcare workers, Vets and support staff and are available at great prices. Available upon request are 'Do Not Disturb' tabards for nurses administering drugs. These Tabards carry a printed message requesting no unnecessary disturbance whilst the nurse's attention is focussed on this important task.
We are also available to source Nurses and Healthcare Uniforms up to a size 34 on request. You can call us to discuss your requirements, on 08454 65 66 65.
Embroidery:
All of our Nurses and Healthcare uniforms are suitable for embroidery and this is a great way to add a professional stamp onto your workwear and instill confidence. Prices start from just £2.50 per garment for a logo plus an initial artwork set-up charge. You can add embroidery to your garments using the online customiser or you can contact us for an embroidery quote by using this form.
Additional Products:
We also stock a fantastic range of accessories including disposable gloves, disposable aprons, antiseptic wipes, safety footwear, mob caps and alcohol rub. Our Alcohol Rub Tottles can be attached to uniform ensuring that staff are never without this essential item.
Fit and Comfort:
Healthcare and nursing uniforms should allow unrestricted movement at the shoulder, waist and hips and options to allow for this may include; dresses with shoulder vents and skirt pleats, trousers, tunic tops or polo shirts. Footwear should be comfortable for the long hours spent on your feet and feature a non-slip sole and enclosed toes. Footwear with open toes or without proper heel support may not be considered suitable for undertaking patient handling.
Laundering and Care:
Always wash garments at the recommended temperature for decontamination. The fabric of clothing must be able to withstand laundering at the recommended temperature for thermal disinfection. Fabric containing Lycra may not endure the thermal disinfection processes. It is recommended that heavily soiled uniforms be put on a rinse cycle before the main wash. Handwashing is not an effective method of thoroughly cleaning healthcare garments and should not be undertaken. A uniform should be laundered regularly at the highest recommended temperature in order to comply with infection prevention and control standards. It is recommended that workwear is laundered at the on-site laundry facility, as hospital borne organisms can be carried home on these items. When carrying clean items to your place of work it is recommended by many health trusts that uniforms are carried separately to other items and clean and soiled uniforms should never be carried together.
Where facilities are available, staff should change in/ out of uniform before and after a shift, in their place of work to avoid outside contamination or transporting bacteria.
Nurses and healthcare workers can claim tax relief in respect of laundry costs where they have to pay for laundering their uniform. This is not applicable if the employer provides laundry arrangements, or if you choose not to use these facilities.
Employer Responsibility and Provisions:
Employees should be provided with sufficient uniform to allow freshly laundered uniform to be worn each shift and the needs of bank and agency staff should also be considered in this calculation. Staff should have on-site access to a laundry for excessively soiled or contaminated uniforms and processes should be in place for staff to access fresh uniform in this situation. An agreement and processes should be in place for the safe disposal and replacement of contaminated uniforms.