Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to trial a national uniform policy following the NHS-wide consultation; and what the timescale is for those plans.

NHS Supply Chain, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, issued a consultation paper in April 2021 asking the workforce if they were supportive of the introduction of a national uniform, and 82% responded in favour of this approach. As part of the sourcing process, potential suppliers have been asked to submit a design for a smart scrub and provide a range of garments in different sizes which could be trialled across the NHS.

Once a preferred design has been agreed, further trials will take place to ensure this design meets the needs of the NHS before being finalised. NHS Supply Chain hope to complete this process by the end of this year. Both sustainability and social value form a significant element of the evaluation process. As this is an active procurement process, details of the evaluation approach cannot be declared but these areas will be addressed.