Dress Code and Identity Badge

PNL believes that appropriate dress promotes professionalism and supports infection control. In designing this code consideration has been given to the diversity of our workforce.

By following the code staff will:

  • Present a professional image to clients, patients/service users and the public
  • Minimise the risk of cross infection and harm to patients/service users
  • Protect themselves from harm
  • Abide with PNL policy.

Policy

  • Staff will present themselves in a smart and professional manner
  • A traditional healthcare worker uniform will be worn while on duty in hospitals (and other areas of work if so directed by the customer or PNL), except where agreed in writing
  • Where anything other than a healthcare uniform is worn, staff willwear apparel that is in keeping with thiscode
  • Staff will be strongly urged (mandated, for staff employed after 1st July 2013) to wear PNL branded garments, where available and appropriate
  • Staffwill not wear the branded clothing ofother health, social care or other organisations
  • Headscarvesand headwear mayonly be worn on religious grounds
  • The face shall not be covered while engaging in nursing or care duties
  • Jewellery (other than a plain wedding band)may not be worn where it is visible
  • Fingernails will be kept short
  • Nail varnish, nail decorations, false nails and false eyelasheswill not be worn
  • Hair will be clean and tidy. Long hair will be tied back off the face and collar
  • Sensible, appropriate footwear will be worn
  • Staff willmaintain excellent standards of personal hygiene and grooming,be free of body odour and practice effective oral hygiene
  • Strong scents and perfumes, and soaps and substances that may cause illness or irritation to sensitive service users,will not be used
  • Staff will abide with any alternative dress code of the client
  • PNL identity badges will be worn at all times upon arriving for duty and throughout working hours (it may be appropriate to remove badges during certain procedures for safety reasons)
  • PNL identity badges and uniforms will not be worn by the owner or anyone else when not undertaking work authorised by PNL.

Compliance with this policy will be maintained at an operational level and may form part of staff appraisals, supervision and quality assurance monitoring.

PNL Dress Code

Clothing

Work clothes shouldnever look anything other than professional and fit for purpose:

  • Garments should not be worn where they:
  • Restrict movements necessary for manual handling and other safe procedures
  • Could be considered revealing or inappropriate
  • Bear pictures or slogans, including obtrusive or unrelated brand names or logos
  • Look old and tatty.

Staff are expected to:

  • Wear clothing suitable for the job they undertake and the setting in which they are assigned. In healthcare establishments this will normally be a standard uniform of the kind worn by health and social care workers, and take into account their role and seniority
  • Avoid wearing uniforms similar to those worn by the hirer’s employees to prevent confusion of roles and responsibilities
  • Wear PNL-branded uniforms where available and appropriate
  • Possess enough sets of clothing so that suitable, freshly laundered and pressedgarments are always available.
  • Wash garments at the hottest temperature suitable for the fabric(a wash for ten minutes at 60°C will remove most micro-organisms).
  • Protect work-wear from contamination by tobacco smoke and strong smells.

Uniforms should be coveredoutside of the workplace to deter unwanted attention.

HospitalsandInstitutions:

Staff assigned to hospitals and similar environments should wear:

Women

  • A traditional nursing style dress (hemline below the knee) or tunic
  • Tights (black, almost black, flesh coloured or neutral)

Men

  • White tunic with short sleeves
  • Dark grey or black trousers

‘Scrubs’ may only be worn in relevant environments, e.g. Special Care Baby Unit; ICU, PICU; A&E, operating theatre, and not outside of hospital. Theatre blues should be laundered by a suitable healthcare clothing cleaning company.

Homecare andOther Environments:

In some areas it may be inappropriate to wear a standard uniform. For example, service users may prefer that professional visitors wear informal clothing to avoid drawing attention to their care needs. Where a PNL manager and the client agree, staff may in these situations refrain from wearing a ‘uniform’; howeverwork-wear must meet allother criteria set out above, e.g. laundered and smart; not revealing or inappropriate in any way.

Homecare staff should wear:

  • PNL branded polo shirt,with
  • Trousers,in black, navy or other darkcolour or dark tights.

Or where agreed with PNL, individuals may choose from the following alternatives:

  • Short sleeved blouse orshirt, polo shirt or sweatshirt,in white, lavender or navy, with
  • Trousers,in black, navy or other darkcolour,or dark tights.

Unacceptable Attire:

PNL believes the following items of clothing to beinappropriate: jeans, tracksuits, jumpsuits, leggings and shorts;t-shirts, except worn as a vest and then not of an inappropriate colour; clothing bearing pictures, designs or slogans (excluding the PNL logo);trousers worn below hip level; skirts worn above the knee;tops that do not cover the stomach, backor shoulders;clothing that does not hide underwear or tattoos; garments that are torn, faded, stained, frayed, ill-fitting or which give an unkempt appearance; caps, hats and hoods (a traditional nurse’s cap may be acceptable).

It is inappropriate to wear jackets, cardigans, jumpers or fleeces while working except, perhaps, in unheated homes at night when not performing care tasks:clinical staff should not wear sleeves below the elbows when carrying out nursing or careascuffs can become heavily contaminated and are more likely to come into contact with patients.Vests and undergarments should be covered.

Footwear

Smart, firm-based ‘work shoes’are required. Staff will not wear high or exaggerated heels; open-toed shoes or sandals; boots, trainers, plimsoles or any shoe that may slip while performing duties. Quiet, rubber-soled footwear is preferred. Suede and canvas shoes are not acceptable; it must be possible to wipe cleanouter surfaces.Clogs can be worn if essential for a particular work area.

Shoes must be clean and in a good state of repair.All footwear should be black in colour.

Jewellery& Tattoos

Jewellery should not be wornwhereit is visible to the eye or where it may constitute a risk. This includes necklaces and chains, bracelets, rings and earrings (a plain wedding band is permissible).Some establishments may permit small, plain ear studs but staff must check with their local line manager before wearing these.Nose studs are not appropriate.

Jewellery presents a risk to health and safety: it may enter wounds or fall into equipment; it may scratch or be uncomfortable against sensitive skin.Jewellery can prevent skin around it from being thoroughly cleaned during hand washing and therefore creates a risk of cross-infection.

Tattooscan be objectionable to some people and shouldnot be visible.

Hair

Hair should be kept clean and tidy. Long hair must be tied back off the face and prevented from falling forward so creating a safety hazard.Men should preferably be clean shaven but otherwise will keep beards and moustaches neat and trimmed.

Staff should not colour their hair with impermanent dye if it may rub onto clothing or materials. Wigs and toupees are not permitted.

Personal Grooming

Staff are expected to maintain an excellent standard of personal hygiene and be free of body odour.For this reason we advise adaily shower and the use of non-perfumed antiperspirant deodorant.

Effective oral hygieneis to be practised.

Strong scents and perfumes, and soaps and substances known to exacerbate illness or irritation to sensitive skin, are not permitted.

Fingernails are to be kept short to encourage good hygiene and reduce the risk of trauma to nurse or patient. Nail varnish, nail decorations and false nails are not permitted. False eyelashes may not be worn on duty.

Wristwatches

Wristwatches are a source of infection and can cause injury when transferring patients. They may not be worn on duty.

Exceptions to the Dress Code

We recognise the diversity of our staff and will take a sensitive approach when an individual’s culture, religion or disabilitysuggests an adaptation to our Dress Code;howeverpriority willalways be given to health and safety concerns. Staff members wishing to depart from policy should discuss this with a PNL manager.

Headscarvesand headwear that do not cover the face, such as the hijab,turbanand skull cap,are permitted on religious grounds. Headgear should be black or other dark colour.

The special needs of pregnant staff will be considered.

Uniforms need not be worntoevents such as training days and peer group meetings, however consideration should be given to the activities to be undertaken; so, for example, tight clothing and heels will be unsuitable for a manual handling course.

Identity Badge

PNL will provide authorised staff with an identification (ID) badge. It will feature:

  • The bearer’s name
  • The name or logo of our company
  • Our contact details
  • If you are a nurse, your NMC personal identification number
  • A recent photograph of you (no older than five years); and
  • An expiry date, set at no more than three years from the date the badge is issued.

The ID badge must be worn when reporting for duty and while on duty, except during procedures where it may present a health and safety risk, or where the client has requested the badge not be worn; in which events it should be removed for the necessary period, kept secure and close at hand.

Staff must:

  • Not allow anyone else to wear or borrow theirID badge inside or outside of work
  • Return the badge to PNL should their relationship with the companyend
  • Report to PNL immediately if their badge is lost or stolen
  • Inform PNL at the earliest possibleopportunity if they arrive for work without their badge.
  • Not attempt to gain access to a property without an ID badge and where they are not well known to local managers/householders
  • Inform PNL if their badge is about to become invalid and they have received no notification about a replacement
  • Securely destroy or return to PNL expired ID badges
  • Not seek to represent the company in any way if they do not possess a valid PNL ID badge.

PNL Dress CodeJune 2013. Revised 04.07.13.Page 1 of 4