Screening Assessment Template

Annex A

You should refer to the general and specific equality duties contained in the legislate framework (Annex D) when completing the screening stage.

Proposed Policy……………………All Wales NHS Dress Code……………………………

Equality Strand / Evidence Identified / Weighting (tick appropriate box) / Relevance (tick appropriate box) / Issues raised by evidence
“Uniforms and workwear: an evidence base document on the wearing and laundering of uniforms” Department of Health, England, Sept 2007, available at
(*see below) / Unsatisfactory / Satisfactory / Strong / No apparent
relevance / Low / Medium / High
Disability (Mandatory) / X / May require adaptation to uniform as individually assessed.
Race (Mandatory) / X
Gender (including transgender) / X / X / Predominantly female workforce. Whilst this may therefore affect disproportionally more female, they will not be affected differently.
Age / X
Religion/Belief/Non-belief / X
 / May require adaptations of uniform locally where this does not impact on clinical outcome e.g. to facilitate hand hygiene. Adaptations should not compromise infection prevention and control and/or health and safety.
Sexual Orientation / X
Human Rights: if applicable (see Annex E for more information) / X / Articles 9 and 10
  • When organisations review their policies on staff dress, they need access to the legal (including Health and Safety) framework, an evidence base and good practice examples.
  • The Department of Health (England) Working Group on Uniforms and Laundry has put together an evidence base on the wearing and laundering of uniforms, with reference and inclusion of the other UK Health Departments. The document outlines the existing legal requirements and findings, to support and advise employers when reviewing local policies in this area. The findings are built on two wide-ranging literature reviews carried out by Thames Valley University, plus further empirical research done by University College London Hospital NHS Trust (UCLH). The work also had input from professional healthcare groups and trade unions. This screening assessment takes into account the evidence as presented.
  • In Department of Health’s supporting equality impact assessment in the section on faith states:

We consulted an expert group established by NHS Employers with the specific brief to examine uniform issues in respect of religion and belief.

We were satisfied that there were issues of hygiene (including hand washing) and public expectation (eg the role of uniforms in enhancing public confidence) that had implications for uniforms in respect of religion and belief.

Prior to publication, Brian Duerden (Chief Microbiologist) spoke with Shuja Shafi (Microbiologist, Northwick Park) who advises the Muslim Council on infection matters.

NHS Employers’ expert reference group has consulted relevant groups. DH has not repeated the consultation, as the guidance aims not to duplicate work carried out elsewhere.The DH has met with the Muslim Council, NHS Muslim Chaplains and Muslim scholars to discuss the impact of this guidance.

This was expanded later in the EIA report as:

Brian Duerden (DH Chief Microbiologist) spoke with Shuja Shafi (Microbiologist, Northwick Park) who advises the Muslim Council on infection matters. He was supportive and happy to work with Imams to explain that being “bare below the elbows” is required for good professional practice. Once this work is complete, we will review the EQIA, and if necessary, will revisit the guidance.

We will also consider representations to DH from the public or the NHS in respect of this guidance. We will consider such representation in the review of the EQIA, and if necessary, will reconsider the guidance in light of those comments.

  • The guidance from DoH specifically avoided prescribing solutions. The impact assessment stated:

Recent public debate over the wearing of religious dress at work (and in particular the wearing of the niqaab) supports the notion that some people make assumptions about others according to the clothes they wear. It also supports the idea that such issues are best handled locally, in partnership with the local community.

Instead the approach set out in the final statement of the impact assessment appears to remain the policy: ‘Individual cases are for local determination and [the guidance] will urge flexibility in order to support staff in complying with both the needs of the service and the requirements of their religious dress codes’.

  • The understanding expressed by Dr Shuja Shafi is shared by the Muslim Council for Wales. The MCW secretary, Saleem Kidwai, is content to affirm that. This would mean that in a clinical context observant Muslim and Sikh female staff would be content, with one or two individual exceptions, to wear the uniform as set out as long as they could have their arms covered in public contexts (as indeed might follow anyway from the requirement to cover the uniform outside of NHS premises).

DR/Sept 2009/ Final Version