As NHS England is in the middle of another consultation about a national uniform for AHPs we thought it was an appropriate time to discuss our professional identity and how (or if) this is tied up with uniform and appearance. So the #physiotalk tweetchat on Monday 16th January at 8pm GMT will be all about our professional identity and the uniform consultation in NHS England
There seems to be a good deal of discussion on social media about the NHS Supply Chain consultation – and there is much to debate about the timing of the consultation during a time of growing crisis within the NHS. Then there is the matter of professional identity – how important is it that physiotherapists can be recognised as a specific staff group? Is it just about cost, practicality and comfort – or is there a safety aspect as well?
Why blue…
During my career I started wearing a brown uniform as a student (Why Manchester Royal Infirmary wore brown I’m not sure…), moved to a fairly traditional white and blue uniform in my early career in Cheshire and Scotland and then for the last 10 years or more I have been in the NHS Scotland AHP uniform of Mediterranean blue top and navy trousers. So a change in uniform style and colour is not something I am unfamiliar with! Is it important to you what you wear – as long as it is comfortable and practical?
Why now?
The NHS is currently facing an unprecedented crisis and much of the social media debate is ‘Why Now’ for a consultation. It is not the first consultation of course – an earlier consultation established that most respondents were in favour of a scrub style national uniform
Many people on twitter wondered if AHP’s voted against the proposal in 2021 – but the results show that 70% of AHPs were in favour of a national uniform.
However the issue does seem to have crystallised around a single AHP uniform without profession identifiers, and the CSP successfully lobbied to have this option withdrawn citing lack of proper consultation with the wider AHP community. The current consultation is focussed more specifically on this issue for AHP staff. The question in the current survey for AHPs is that of the base colour (with options of white, grey or magenta), with the trim colour being decided with representatives of professional bodies.
Chat questions
Is your professional identity linked to being clearly identifiable as a physiotherapist?
Have you been mistaken for other staff groups – and is that a safety issue?
Do you think having a national uniform in England is an important issue?
Should we be having this consultation at all during a time of crisis?
Why do you think the supply chain is holding the consultation now?
Is it important for physiotherapists in England to respond to the consultation?
physiotalk 