HCA HEALTHCARE UK POLICY

CORPORATE UNIFORM, DRESS CODE AND APPEARANCE POLICY

Document Number: HCAUK.IC.ALL.POL.1003

Publication Date: 29/06/2016
1.1
Document Owner:
Review Date: 17/12/2018
Director of Clinical Services
Expiry Date: 17/06/2019 Approved by: Manisha Shah, Executive
Director / Vice President Clinical Services
and Patient Safety
Replaces Document: HCAUK.HR.HR.POL.503
Dress Code & Appearance Policy

Target Audience: All workers within HCA

Date approved: 29/06/2016
Facilities.
Policy to assist HCA Staff to ensure
appropriate standards of dress and general
Document Summary:
appearance are maintained across all HCA
sites.
Dress Code, Uniform, Appearance, HR,
Key words:
Infection Control.
HCAUK.IC.IC.POL.021 - Corporate Standard
Infection Control Precautions Policy,
HCAUK.IC.IC.POL.022 - Corporate Hand
Hygiene Policy,
Key linked polices/ guidelines
HCAUK.HR.HR.POL.035 Corporate Diversity
and Inclusion Policy,
HCAUK.HS.HS.POL.100 Corporate Health
and Safety Policy
Version Tracking
Changes made to document
Date Version Number
March 2016 2.0 Policy reviewed and updated
Feb 2015 1.0 New policy

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Contents

1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
2 Scope .................................................................................................................................3
3 Policy Statement................................................................................................................3
4 Definitions .........................................................................................................................3
5 Roles and responsibilities ..................................................................................................4
5.1 Head of Departments, Managers and or Shift leaders............................................4
5.2 All members of Staff –.............................................................................................4
6 Principles of the Dress code ..............................................................................................5
6.1 Clinical staff .............................................................................................................5
6.2 Footwear .................................................................................................................5
6.3 Identification: ..........................................................................................................6
6.4 General Presentation and appearance: ..................................................................6
6.5 Jewellery: ................................................................................................................6
6.6 Principles of Uniform policy: ...................................................................................6
6.7 Protective clothing: .................................................................................................7
6.8 Wearing Uniform out of work: ................................................................................7
6.9 Laundering Uniform: ...............................................................................................7
6.10 Theatre Staff............................................................................................................7
7 Implementation process....................................................................................................8
8 Monitoring arrangements .................................................................................................9
9 Training..............................................................................................................................9
10 References: .......................................................................................................................9
11 Appendix 1: Uniform Audit tool. .....................................................................................11

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1 INTRODUCTION

HCA Healthcare UK (‘HCAUK’) requires all workers, irrespective of position or location, to

maintain a suitable professional appearance as representatives of the company. This policy
sets out the expectations of HCA in relation to corporate dress code and the wearing of
uniforms.

2 SCOPE

The purpose of this policy is for all staff working for HCA, including those with honorary
contracts, agency works and students when at HCA facilities. This is applicable to all wearing
a clinical uniform as well as staff not required to wear a formal uniform, such as
administrative staff. Staff are required to present a professional business like image in line
of their job description and role appropriate to working conditions. The policy is also for
workers not required to wear any kind of uniform as a guide required to maintain suitable
standards in defining acceptable and unacceptable standards of dress and appearance
portraying a professional image.

3 POLICY STATEMENT

This policy has been developed to act as a guide on all issues of the dress code for HCA staff
those dressed in professional health care business attire and the staff wearing the formal
clinical uniform. General appearance should present a positive image of the company. HCA
recognises the diversity of cultures, religions and disabilities of its employees and will take a
sensitive approach when this affects dress and uniform requirements. Priority must be given
to infection control, health and safety and security considerations.

4 DEFINITIONS

Clinical Formal Uniform – Provided to staff working in the clinical setting with direct patient
contact and indirect patient contact. The clinical uniform must be worn only during working
hours. Staff doing administrative duties as arranged with their manager during working
hours may perform work during these allocated hours and not wearing the uniform in their
departments.
Administration / Business Uniform – Uniform as provided by HCA to staff.
Administration non-Uniform – Across all HCA Sites
Theatre Scrubs – for the purpose of theatre areas, decontamination areas and or Endoscopy
sites. Isolated areas on all sites may require staff to wear scrubs and would be provided
daily to staff according to company arrangements per facility.
Pharmacy staff – as per facility identified and specified.
Engineering – as per facility identified and specified.
Kitchen – Clean chef uniforms, aprons and jackets as provided by HCA company on a daily
basis. Servery staff would wear the chosen catering staff Uniform issued by HCA.
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Housekeeping uniform – Hotel services uniforms as identified per site and provided to staff
should be suitable and appear clean and washed daily for each shift.
RMOs – According to area and facility working and agreed on local induction.

5 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1 Head of Departments, Managers and or Shift leaders

• Need to be observant and address any unacceptable appearance immediately to
ensure that their conduct is professional, appropriate and in accordance with the
HCA Code of Conduct of all times.
• Managers are responsible for ensuring the Dress Code and Uniform Policy are
adhered to at all times in respect of the employees they manage.
• They must ensure that the dress codes are communicated at local induction and
readily accessible to all members of staff.
• They should also address any non-compliance of Dress Code in line with HCA’s
disciplinary procedures.

5.2 All members of Staff –

• Are responsible for following the standards of uniform/dress and appearance
outlined in this policy and should understand how this policy relates to their working
environment, roles and contact with other during the course of their employment.
• All workers within clinical facilities who have been issued a name badge / id card
must ensure these are worn and visible at all times when in an official capacity
representing HCA.
• Should take responsibility to ensure they maintain basic hygiene and wear clean
washed uniform daily. Staff should also take reasonable care of uniforms provided
and bring to the attention of the appropriate line manager any detect in a uniform in
order that it may be changes/repaired.
• Non uniformed staff should wear appropriate clothing bearing in mind the type of
work undertaken and any health and safety requirements.~

6 PRINCIPLES OF THE DRESS CODE

Clinical and catering staff are required to achieve additional standards in order to reduce
the risk of staff or patients being harmed and to improve and assist cleanliness. Compliance
with bare Below Elbow is required in all clinical areas by clinical staff.

6.1 Clinical staff

Including doctors, nurses, midwives, healthcare professionals, healthcare workers and any
other staff giving patient care or in physical contact with patients in a clinical area.

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6.2 Footwear
This must be safe, maintained in good order with a sole that provides suitable grip and
made of material that is easily cleanable. Staff should give consideration to the nature of the
work they are undertaking including:
• Degree and nature of manual handling activities undertaken.
• The frequency of movement around the facility, the use of step ladders kick stools.
Interaction/use of wheeled equipment.
• Prevalent type of flooring in the areas worked and likelihood of encountering wet
flooring.
• Use of sharps and exposure of body fluids.
• Clinical staff working at night should ensure that their shoes have soles that
minimise the disruption of patients at this time e.g. soft soled such as crepe or
rubber.
• Shoes must enclose the whole foot. Open toes and sandals arew not permitted as
they provide no protection for injury.
• Shoes must be made of a wipe clean material therefore trainers and suede shoes are
not acceptable as they cannot be cleaned easily.
• Clog style shoes and or heels more than 1 inch / 2.54 cms must not be worn.
• Catering /estates and facilities staff should follow the guidance above to clinical
staff.
• Where protective shoes are required such as steel toed caps, these will be provided
by the facility following a sole specific assessment.
• Administrative and clerical staff should ensure that their footwear is suitable for the
activities they undertake and the environment they work in.

6.3 Identification:
A visible photo identity name badge should be clearly displayed at all times. It is good
infection control practice to clean ID badges daily, to remove contaminates which would not
be removed during hand washing. The same is applicable to phones and pens. ID badges
must be of the clip variety and not the snap release neck ribbons lanyards.

6.4 General Presentation and appearance:

All clothing must be clean and neatly pressed and free from obvious dirt and stains. Good
personal hygiene is essential. All workers are expected to keep themselves personally fresh,
free from offensive odours and practice good oral hygiene. Hair should be clean, tidy, dry
and worn above the collar (tied back and not require frequent re-adjustment when working
in clinical setting).
The wearing of items arising from cultural or religious norms is in most circumstances
welcomed by HCA, providing that the health and safety, infection prevention and security of
patients or staff are not compromised.
Staff who wear full facial coverings for religious norms are required to remove these while
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on duty. This is to ensure that the member of staff is identifiable and to enhance
engagement and communications with patients, visitors and colleagues.
Hijabs and Jilabs are permitted provided that they do not affect health and safety or prevent
employee from doing job effectively.
Turbans and kippots, veils (Christian and nikab) and headscarves are supported on religious
grounds provided that they do not affect health and safety or prevent employee from doing
job effectively. The latter should be shoulder lengths and must be worn unadorned and
secured neatly.
Nails should be kept short and well-manicured. For clinical staff nails must be unvarnished.
No artificial nails are to be worn in clinical areas.
Make-up should be discreet, unobtrusive and professional. Deodorant should be used to
assist with personal hygiene. Any perfume or aftershave should not be overpowering.
Tattoos/body decorations should be kept covered up at all times.

6.5 Jewellery:
Jewellery should be discreet and worn in accordance with Health and Safety / Clinical
guidelines. Clinical staff must not wear items of jewellery other than: one pair of stud
earrings and a plain wedding band with no ridges or grooves.
Necklaces must not be worn unless covered by clothing. Exceptions may be made for
medical alert bracelets.
Visible body piercing or tongue studs are prohibited.
Nurses watches are acceptable as part of the uniform presentation.

6.6 Principles of Uniform policy:

Reasons for wearing a Uniform:
Not all staff are required to wear a uniform. Those that are required to wear one are
required to do this in order to:
• Protect themselves from dirt and spillages.
• Help contribute to the overall reduction in exposure of an infection.
• Present a smart, professional image.
• Assist members of the public tending to know whom they can approach.
The uniform provided will:
• Allow mobility and comfort.
• Be durable to withstand frequent laundering

6.7 Protective clothing:

Provision of protective personal equipment (PPE) is the responsibility of HCA. Each manager
must ensure that personal protective clothing and equipment is available to the employee
in accordance with control of substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations and
local /statutory recommendations and that staff are aware of these requirements. This must
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be worn as intended and not modified.

Staff in roles that required protective clothing are required to wear this whilst carrying out
their duties in accordance with health and safety requirements, if an individual is unsure
about the such requirements these should discussed this with the manager.
The use of PPE (such as plastic aprons) must be based on risk assessments.

6.8 Wearing Uniform out of work:

All staff are encouraged to change their uniform before going off duty. If this is not possible
staff are permitted to wear their uniform off site as long as is fully covered by a coat or
outwear. This provision is primarily for Clinical staff between facilities. Theatre staff are not
permitted to wear their theatre uniforms off site.
Staff should not wear their uniform other than at work or going to and from work. Wearing
uniforms outside the professional environment can creates a poor public impression in
respect of hygiene and infection control.
It is not permitted to wear uniform when smoking during a break and or after work.

6.9 Laundering Uniform:

HCA provides a routine laundry service. Guidance on laundering will be issued with the
uniform. Sufficient uniforms will be provided to staff to ensure staff could wear freshly
laundered uniforms every day. Uniforms should be washed separately from general
household laundry at 60°C. Uniforms soiled with body fluids e.g. blood musty be changed
immediately.

6.10 Theatre Staff

Staff should wear well fitted, dedicated operating theatre footwear from the recommended
brochure.
Footwear must cover the foot, be wipe clean and conform to footwear criteria. Theatre
shoes should be provided by HCA. All locums and short term staff will be supplied with
clean shoes for them which are available at all times.
Scrubs should not be worn outside the designated area. The only exceptions are when
attending an emergency or when accompanying a patient to another clinical area. Once the
staff member has attended an emergency outside of the theatre complex s/he must change
in a clean pair of scrubs on returning to theatre.
Hair must be entirely covered with a clean disposable hat which should be changed at least
daily or on leaving the theatre suite. Additionally hats should be changed when
contaminated with blood and or bodily fluids. It is recommended that beards are covered
with a hood.
Hat and masks must be removed when leaving the theatre or other clinical department. It is
recommended by the Infection Control Department that a scrub nurse should wear masks
but the wearing of masks by other operation theatre personnel should be at the discretion
of the individual Consultant Surgeon involved. A freshly laundered head attire specific to
theatre use only may be worn (made of a cloth fabric) however a single use cap/hood
should be worn on top of the cloth layer between cases.

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Every individual in the operating theatre should wear a mask when prostheses/implantation
surgery is being performed or if the patient is immuno-compromised. Mask should be
removed and disposed of at the end of each case in the theatre as they are singles use
items. Masks should not be worn hanging around the neck.
Protective eyewear with visors, appropriate aprons and gloves must be readily available in
every theatre suite and their use enforced. The routine use of agreed theatre gowns is
recommended to protect both the patient and individual staff member.
Every visitor entering an operating room where a procedure is taking place must change
into scrubs and suitable footwear.
Staff working within the operating theatre are required to have their arms uncovered from
the elbows down when scrubbing for a procedure which is compliant to the bare below
elbows guidance – see HCAUK.IC.IC.POL.022 Corporate Hand Hygiene Policy.
Cardigans and warming jackets must not been worn during patient contact. Within the
theatre or critical care environment, cardigans are not permitted and disposable warming
jackets must be worn. Disposable warming jackets should be changed daily and discarded at
the end of the shift.

7 IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

This policy will be implemented via the Corporate Infection Control Committee.
The Policy will be implemented locally via the Hospital and Infection Control Committee and
disseminated according to the directions for the IPCN and Director of Infection prevention
and Control.
Once final Clinical Governance ratification has taken place locally at each facility the
Governance will then distribute to all departments.

8 MONITORING ARRANGEMENTS

Uniform audit: Compliance and monitoring of this Policy should be measured by the clinical
Uniform Audit tool. Monthly audits done by IPC Link practitioners and trends identified
should be addressed with Head of Department and managed through the escalation process
if necessary to ensure compliance of this Policy. Spot checks can also take place randomly of
dress appearance, accessories and uniform compliance using the agreed dress code/uniform
audit tool (appendix 1) to measure staff compliance.
Monitoring should be supported by all Managers employed by HCA, The IPC Lead, and IPC
Link practitioners and challenged when appropriate.

9 TRAINING

At HCA all new staff will attend a Corporate Clinical Induction where the infection
prevention and control aspects according to uniform requirements and hygiene standards
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will be outlined. The availability of all IPC policies as a guidance on the library and referred
to the Uniform and dress code Policy.
All HCA employees have to complete mandatory Infection Control annual training. There are
two different alternatives for staff; e-learning and self-study or attending a mandatory
training day.
Bank and Agency Staff, whilst on the premises of the HCA facilities should adhere to the
Policy, which is monitored by the Head of Department.
All other stakeholders (Including Consultants and external agencies) who are present within
HCA premises are expected to have up-to-date training and work within all HCA Infection
Control and Management Policies.

10 REFERENCES:

NICE Clinical Guideline 2 (2003) Infection control Prevention of health care associated
infection in primary and community care, www.nice.org.uk/cg139
Department of Health, Uniform and work wear, an evidence base for developing local policy
(2010) Available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsandstatistics/
publications/publicationspolicyandguidance/DH_114751 (accessed 12 /12/2015).
Royal Collage of Nursing, guidance on uniforms and clothing worn in the delivery of patient
care, 2005. Available at: https://www.rcn.org.uk/
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/2966/contents/made
Health & Social Care Act 2008. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449049/C
ode_of_practice_280715_acc.pdf
World Health Organisation (2009) Guidelines on hand hygiene in health care. Geneva,
Switzerland: World Health Organisation.

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