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Written question asked by Fleur Anderson (Labour) on Monday, 7 February 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 February 2022. It was answered by Edward Argar (Conservative) on Tuesday, 15 February 2022 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

NHS: Uniforms

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans for a new national uniform policy including a social value weighting with factors including sustainability and UK manufacture of smart scrubs.

Answer

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.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
119869
Session
2021-22
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
NHS Manufacturing industries Sustainable development Uniforms
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk