NHS nurses ordered to wear the right socks or else
What colour are the wrong socks? That question to readers of the BExhill-ion-Sea Observer, which reports on East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust’s decree that staff could face disciplinary action because of the colour of their socks.
The Trust’s uniform policy says sock must be plain and muted in colour. But staff at Eastbourne DGH and Conquest Hospital in Hastings are ordered to wear matching black socks.
Is black muted? Black is the colour of death and misery. Why not brightly coloured socks? What does the Trust have against them?
And why can’t female nurses wear black seamed stockings, like in the the Carry On films?
A staff member wonders:
“Coloured socks don’t affect how efficient we work. Most of us wear trousers that mean you can’t even see the socks – has there actually been any complaints from patients or relatives about our socks if they are visible? What happens if we refuse to lift up our trouser leg? They’ll be asking to check the colour of our underwear next. We’re not stupid – we won’t come into work wearing a dress with bright coloured socks pulled up to our knees. When we wear dresses, we wear tights and look professional and approachable to those who come first – our patients.”
Alice Webster, Director of Nursing, responds: “No member of staff has been disciplined for the colour of their socks.”
But if they do wear red ones, well, they’re asking for it.
Posted: 2nd, September 2015 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
