What uniforms do nurses wear?

Scrubs are a type of sanitary clothing mainly worn by healthcare professionals, such as doctors, surgeons and nurses. Scrubs typically consist of a V-neck tunic and trousers, which are designed to be very simple in order to minimise the places where contaminants could hide. Plus, these healthcare garments are typically made from a slick material that’s easy to wipe clean and able to withstand washing at high temperatures, further reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

While traditional nurses’ uniforms are still common in some countries, North America and Western Europe moved to scrubs and tunics as the 20th century progressed. The idea was to make healthcare uniforms simpler, and hopefully more comfortable and hygienic. Plus, this was a step towards making healthcare uniforms more gender-neutral, although the NHS still allowed male nurses to wear a white jacket with coloured epaulettes for some time. At present, this uniform is now obsolete in many NHS trusts, with gender-neutral uniforms starting to be introduced.

Speaking of white nurses’ tunics, what colours do you see nurses wearing nowadays in the UK? Scrub tunics and trousers constitute the standard nurses’ uniform across NHS Trusts, but there are many different colours that can be used. The colour of a healthcare professional’s scrubs can tell you a lot about their occupation, grade and level of experience, but until now, these colour systems weren’t standardised across the UK (more on this below).

In the past, registered nurses would generally wear lighter blue scrubs and more senior nurses overseeing the ward would wear a darker blue, helping patients and staff differentiate between junior and senior nurses. Student nurses would also wear light blue to signify their level of experience. 

In general, blue has been (and continues to be) the chosen colour for nursing professionals, while other healthcare workers (such as pharmacists and physiotherapists) and non-clinical staff (housekeepers, porters and cleaners) wear different colours to reduce confusion. Doctors don’t have a specific uniform that they’re required to wear at all times.

Previously, it was up to individual NHS Trusts to set their own uniform rules and uniform colours for different healthcare staff. However, following concerns that this lack of standardisation could cause confusion for patients – and extra uniform costs for the NHS as a whole – a new national NHS uniform was unveiled at the beginning of 2024. This uniform is designed to be simple, cost-effective, sustainable, inclusive and comfortable, offering much needed clarity and peace of mind to patients who were previously overwhelmed by regional uniform differences.

As you can see, blue remains the colour for nurses, with lighter blues denoting students and more junior professionals and darker blues denoting senior members of staff. To make it clearer who is a nursing professional, other healthcare workers are required to wear different colours, such as bottle green for pharmacists, white for physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and ruby with different coloured trims for various other professions. 

However, these new NHS nurse uniforms aren’t completely mandatory. Instead, it’s up to each NHS Trust to decide whether to implement the new national uniform.

The new NHS nurse uniforms are also designed to be gender-neutral. Gone are the days when male nurses would wear separate white uniforms instead of the standard nursing uniforms.

In terms of sizing, many suppliers offer unisex clothing options to make it simpler to find healthcare workwear. However, other suppliers (including alsico) try to steer clear of only offering one-size-fits-all uniforms and protective workwear, as this can lead to ill-fitting garments that don’t offer adequate wearer protection, comfort and contamination control. However, we do also offer unisex styles for those who would prefer this, which means we can cover all body types to ensure our healthcare uniforms are always fit for purpose.

Alsico offers a wide range of male, female and unisex healthcare uniforms to fit all sizes, shapes and styles, ensuring that everyone has access to comfortable, hygienic, professional and high-quality workwear that can stand the test of time. For example, our female healthcare tunic features action back pleats and side vents for ease of movement, custom trims for role differentiation and a smart appearance, and 4 pockets and 2 lined pen pockets for neat, hygienic storage options (i.e., to attach a fob watch to remove the need to wear a wristwatch, which can be unhygienic). Plus, this uniform can be washed at 85°C to ensure it’s as hygienic as possible.

In addition, our smart scrub tunic is made from lightweight, comfortable fabric that’s also washable at 85°C for hygiene purposes. This uniform features back pleats and side vents for ease of movement, a smart crossover design, customisable trims, and 3 pockets and 2 lined pen pockets that are both functional and waterproof. Pair our tunics and scrubs with our wide range of straight-leg trousers that offer unparalleled comfort, durability, and ease of movement, thanks to their sustainable stretch fabric and elasticated back waistband.

All of our healthcare uniforms come in a wide array of NHS-approved colours, so you can find the right uniform no matter what colour rules your NHS Trust follows. For an even higher-quality and more style-focused range of healthcare uniforms, you can check out our premium collection. This collection features three unique ranges (Spirit, Mode and Power) that are made from an even more sustainable and intuitive fabric technology, with an emphasis on both professionalism and personal style.