Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Sheldon (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 8 December 2005.

NHS: Staff Facilities

Question: My Lords, I declare an interest as a shareholder in a company that supplies linen to laundries. I understand that some nurses not only wash their uniforms at home but actually wear them on the way to work. How can we be sure that they are properly sterilised?

Answer: My Lords, that is a fair point. The issue of nurses wearing their uniforms and possibly—if I may put it this way—leaning over the fresh fruit and vegetables in the supermarket is of public concern which people are looking at. There are some professional responsibilities here and our advice is that nurses in these circumstances should wear clothing on top of their uniforms. This is a reputation issue and the public may worry about any risks.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 676 c740
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Hospitals Facilities NHS Staff Sanitation Uniforms Cleaning services
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk