National Healthcare Uniform project moves forward
NHS Supply Chain has revealed the latest developments in the National Healthcare Uniform project.
The organisation recently announced the two preferred bidders for the project and is now developing its four key workstreams.
The workstreams are designed to support the delivery of the five core objectives set out in the original proposal for the project.
They in turn have acted as the organisation’s five key values, steering all its activity and enabling it to work together with trusts, suppliers and key stakeholders such as professional bodies and NHS England.
NHS Supply Chain said these values ensure it remains true to the original goals, and most importantly give it a framework to help understand and subsequently meet, the needs of the NHS workforce.
The five core objectives which are the driving force behind this project are:
Improving patient safety and understanding
Maintaining and strengthening professional identity
Developing an inclusive and adaptable range, suitable for the whole NHS workforce in England
Enhanced ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible practices
Ensuring value for money.
Their four interconnected workstreams have now launched and have a specific focus on:
Uniform Design – Focused on finalising the garment design specification and colourways: ensuring that every aspect of the uniform has been tested by end wearers. Working with trusts to ensure that the needs of all potential wearers have been considered, and making sure any feedback is included within the final approved design.
Implementation and Adoption – Planning a suitable approach to the uniform rollout: communicating with trusts to establish a profile and develop a phased approach to the rollout of the new uniform design nationally, considering existing contract agreements and potentially complex requirements of all trusts.
Sustainability – Working to map out the ethical, environmental and social impact of this uniform: ensuring that NHS Supply Chain consider the environmental and social impact of both the rollout of this uniform nationally and the development of robust end of product life processing, such as uniform recycling.
Technology – Integrating an end-to-end ordering system: working with NHS trusts to gain a picture of the typical ordering process and building an ordering system to meet this unique and potentially varied requirement and ensuring comprehensive testing is carried out ahead of the rollout process.
NHS Supply Chain will be sharing more over the coming months as its workstreams progress.