Nurses in Britain have been told to cover and not show too much cleavage by bosses who claim that they have been receiving complaints from patients.
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust issued the guidelines, and any employee caught showing too much decolletage or midriff will now face disciplinary action.
The six-page dress code, which affects all 5,000 clinical and non-uniformed staff at four hospitals including Lister Hospital in Stevenage and Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, is intended to establish a ‘professional and consistent’ image which reflects the ‘trust’s values’.
The trust has warned it will carry out ‘audits’ of the uniform policy in every ward, department and service area. Anyone found to have breached the rules will face disciplinary action.
Hannah Middleton, the Unison branch secretary for the trust, said an existing policy was ‘toughened up’ following meetings between the union and staff councils.
A trust spokesman added that the way staff present themselves affects ‘public confidence in the services being provided’.
“The dress code’s aim is to establish a professional and consistent image that reflects the trust’s values,” the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.