Aug 23 2005
District nurses in the UK, working in the community, have been banned from wearing their uniforms when they are not on duty, amid growing concerns about superbugs.
At present the new ruling only applies to nurses in Sunderland who go out to visit patients in their communities.
According to health leaders the move is necessary to allay public concerns about superbugs.
Union leaders said they are supportive of the general principle but there were practical considerations.
Nurse consultant Margaret Kennedy, of Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust, says confidence in the health service is being shaken every time a nurse is seen in a public place in uniform.
Kennedy says people worry and are anxious about what they actually could be carrying on their uniform when they return to the hospital.
Many feel that superbugs are a real issue in the NHS, and there is a very real desire to reduce health acquired infections.
Kennedy says as it is known that uniforms carry bacteria, that is the justification for the action.
Gill Hale, from the nurses union Unison, says though they are supportive of the general principle behind the move, and committed to the eradication of infection, there are practical considerations for nurses working in the community and they would like to see some attention given to solving those problems.