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{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

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Staff Dress Code and Uniform Policy

1. Purpose

This policy sets out the dress, uniform, personal presentation and workwear requirements for all staff working at {{org_field_name}}. Its purpose is to ensure that clothing and personal presentation support safe care, effective infection prevention and control, staff and resident safety, dignity, professional conduct and the effective performance of staff duties.

The policy supports compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, in particular Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment, including the requirement to assess the risk of, prevent, detect and control the spread of infections; Regulation 17: Good Governance; and Regulation 18: Staffing.

The policy must be applied alongside the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance, and current national infection prevention and control guidance for adult social care in England.

Dress and uniform requirements will also be applied in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Restrictions on clothing, jewellery, religious or cultural dress, or other aspects of personal appearance will only be imposed where they are necessary and proportionate for a legitimate reason, including infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding or the safe delivery of care.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• All permanent, temporary, and agency staff working at {{org_field_name}}.
• Any volunteers, students, or contractors who interact with people we support.
• Staff working in both care and non-care roles (e.g., administration, housekeeping, maintenance).
• Employees working on-site or remotely, where appropriate.

3. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside:

• CH13 – Safeguarding Adults from Abuse and Improper Treatment Policy
• CH16 – Health and Safety at Work Policy
• CH17 – Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• CH28 – Staff Conduct and Code of Ethics Policy

4. General Dress Code Standards

All staff must adhere to a professional dress code that reflects the values of {{org_field_name}} and ensures:

• Professionalism – Staff must present a clean, neat, and professional appearance at all times.
• Hygiene and Infection Control – Clothing must be clean and fit for purpose to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
• Safety and Practicality – Uniforms and clothing must not pose a hazard to staff, people we support, or colleagues.
• Identification and Approachability – Staff should be easily identifiable to people we support, visitors, and colleagues.

5. Uniform Policy for Care Staff

5.1. Standard Uniform Requirements

• Care staff must wear the designated uniform provided by {{org_field_name}}.
• The uniform must be clean, well-maintained, and correctly fitted.
• Staff must wear identification badges at all times while on duty.
• Comfortable, closed-toe footwear with non-slip soles must be worn.
• Hair should be tied back if it is long to maintain hygiene standards.

5.2. Infection Prevention and Control Considerations

Staff must ensure that their clothing, uniform, footwear, jewellery and personal presentation do not compromise effective infection prevention and control or the safe delivery of care.

When providing direct, hands-on personal care, staff must follow current infection prevention and control requirements and must be bare below the elbows. This means:

• Sleeves must be short or securely rolled up above the elbow.
• Hand and wrist jewellery must be removed when providing personal care, except that one plain metal ring may be worn.
• Where bangles are worn for religious reasons, they must be secured sufficiently high on the arm to allow effective cleaning of the hands and wrists.
• Fingernails must be clean and short and must be free from nail varnish, gel products, artificial nails, nail extensions or other nail products.
• Cuts and abrasions on exposed skin must be covered with an appropriate waterproof dressing.
• Long hair must be tied back and kept off the collar when undertaking direct care.
• Where a head covering or head scarf is worn, it must be clean, secure and arranged so that it does not interfere with care, hand hygiene or other infection prevention and control measures.
• Lanyards and neckties must not be worn while providing personal care.
• Clothing, jewellery or accessories that may come into contact with a person receiving care, interfere with effective hand hygiene, become contaminated, cause injury, or otherwise compromise infection prevention and control must not be worn while undertaking the relevant activity.

Personal protective equipment must be selected and worn according to the task and assessed risk, in accordance with CH17 – Infection Prevention and Control Policy and current national guidance. PPE must be put on, removed, changed and disposed of safely and at the appropriate time.

Staff must comply with any additional infection prevention and control precautions introduced following an individual risk assessment, suspected or confirmed infection, outbreak or advice from relevant health protection or infection prevention and control professionals.

5.3. Changing, Cleaning and Maintaining Uniforms

Staff must begin each shift wearing clean uniform or workwear that is appropriate to their role and the environment in which they are working.

Uniform or workwear must be changed as soon as reasonably practicable if it becomes visibly soiled or contaminated with blood, body fluids or other potentially infectious material. Staff undertaking roles where contamination is reasonably foreseeable must have access to suitable arrangements for changing into clean clothing.

Uniforms and workwear must:

• Be washed regularly and sufficiently frequently to ensure that clean workwear is available at the start of every shift.
• Be washed using detergent and at the hottest temperature that the fabric will safely tolerate, in accordance with the garment manufacturer’s washing instructions and current infection prevention and control guidance.
• Be dried thoroughly before being worn or stored.
• Be washed separately from other items where they are heavily soiled or where this is required to prevent cross-contamination.
• Be stored clean and dry in a manner that protects them from contamination.

Staff must follow any additional laundering or decontamination precautions required following known or suspected exposure to infectious material or where advised by the service’s infection prevention and control lead or other appropriate health protection professional.

Where uniforms are worn during travel to or from work, staff must ensure that they remain clean and protected from avoidable contamination. A member of staff must change their uniform before commencing or continuing care duties if it has become contaminated or is no longer suitable for safe care.

6. Dress Code for Non-Care Staff

6.1. Office and Administrative Staff

• Staff in office roles must wear smart, professional attire.
• Jeans, shorts, and excessively casual clothing (e.g., hoodies, flip-flops) are not permitted.
• Identification badges must be worn at all times.

6.2. Housekeeping, Kitchen, and Maintenance Staff

• Designated uniforms must be worn as per role requirements.
• Appropriate protective clothing (e.g., gloves, aprons, hairnets) must be used where necessary.
• Footwear must be suitable for the role, ensuring safety and hygiene compliance.

7. Equality, Religious and Cultural Dress and Reasonable Adjustments

{{org_field_name}} will apply this policy in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and will not unlawfully discriminate against staff because of a protected characteristic.

Religious or cultural clothing, head coverings, jewellery and other items associated with religion or belief may be worn unless a restriction is necessary and proportionate to achieve a legitimate aim, such as infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding or the safe provision of care.

Where direct, hands-on personal care is being provided, infection prevention and control requirements must be maintained. This includes being bare below the elbows. Sleeves must therefore be short or securely rolled above the elbow while undertaking personal care. Religious bangles may be secured higher up the arm where this allows effective cleaning of the hands and wrists.

Head coverings worn for religious, cultural or other reasons must be clean and secured so that they do not interfere with care, create an avoidable safety risk or prevent compliance with infection prevention and control requirements.

{{org_field_name}} will consider reasonable adjustments to uniform and dress requirements for disabled employees where required by the Equality Act 2010. Appropriate adjustments will also be considered where needed in connection with pregnancy, maternity or another protected characteristic.

Staff requiring an adjustment to the standard uniform or dress requirements should raise this with their line manager or the Registered Manager. Requests will be considered individually and sensitively. Any restriction or refusal will be based on the circumstances of the role and an assessment of relevant infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding or care risks, rather than assumptions about a person’s protected characteristic.

Where a requested adjustment creates an identified risk, {{org_field_name}} will consider whether there is a suitable alternative which enables the member of staff to observe their religious, cultural or other protected requirements while maintaining safe care.

8. Tattoos, Piercings and Jewellery

Tattoos do not ordinarily need to be covered. However, {{org_field_name}} may require a tattoo to be covered while at work where its visible content could reasonably be regarded as discriminatory, threatening, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise inconsistent with the dignity, safety or rights of people using the service.

Piercings and jewellery must not interfere with effective hand hygiene, infection prevention and control, the safe use of personal protective equipment or the safe delivery of care.

When providing direct personal care:

• Hand and wrist jewellery must be removed, except for one plain metal ring, subject to infection prevention and control requirements.
• Religious bangles may be secured higher up the arm where this permits effective cleaning of the hands and wrists.
• Jewellery or piercings that create a foreseeable risk of being caught, pulled, contaminated or causing injury to the wearer or another person must be removed, covered or otherwise made safe.
• Any restriction relating to jewellery worn because of religion or belief will be considered individually and will only be imposed where necessary and proportionate for infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding or another legitimate requirement of the role.

Where there is uncertainty about whether a piercing, item of jewellery or visible tattoo is suitable, the Registered Manager will undertake or arrange an appropriate risk assessment before determining whether any restriction is necessary.

9. Personal Hygiene Standards

• Staff must maintain good personal hygiene, including the use of deodorant.
• Strong fragrances should be avoided to accommodate individuals with sensitivities.
• Hair should be clean and neatly presented.

10. Implementation, Training and Monitoring

10.1. Responsibilities of the Registered Manager

The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring that this policy is implemented effectively and that dress and uniform practices support safe care, infection prevention and control, health and safety, dignity and equality.

The Registered Manager must:

• Ensure that staff have access to appropriate uniforms, workwear and personal protective equipment required for their duties.
• Ensure that staff receive appropriate information, instruction and training regarding dress, uniform and infection prevention and control requirements relevant to their role.
• Ensure that staff understand and follow bare-below-the-elbows requirements when undertaking direct personal care.
• Monitor compliance with this policy through appropriate observation, supervision, audit and other quality assurance processes.
• Take proportionate action where unsafe or non-compliant practice is identified.
• Ensure that identified risks, recurring concerns or patterns of non-compliance are investigated and that appropriate improvement actions are taken.
• Review dress or uniform restrictions where an employee requests an adjustment associated with disability, religion or belief, pregnancy, maternity or another protected characteristic.
• Ensure that decisions concerning adjustments or restrictions are based on individual circumstances and relevant risk rather than assumptions.
• Ensure that current national infection prevention and control guidance is considered when this policy is reviewed or when practice changes are required.

10.2. Responsibilities of Line Managers

Line managers must:

• Explain relevant dress and uniform requirements to staff during induction and when requirements change.
• Monitor staff practice as part of day-to-day management, supervision and competency assurance.
• Address unsafe or non-compliant dress or uniform practices promptly and proportionately.
• Escalate repeated, significant or unresolved concerns to the Registered Manager.
• Support staff who request reasonable adjustments or changes connected with a protected characteristic and refer such requests to the Registered Manager where necessary.

10.3. Responsibilities of Employees

All employees must:

• Comply with this policy and relevant infection prevention and control procedures.
• Wear clean, safe and appropriate uniform or workwear for their role.
• Follow bare-below-the-elbows requirements when providing direct personal care.
• Use personal protective equipment in accordance with their training, risk assessment and current guidance.
• Change clothing promptly where it becomes contaminated or unsuitable for safe care.
• Report damaged, unsuitable or insufficient uniform or protective clothing to their manager.
• Raise any need for an adjustment to dress or uniform requirements with their manager.
• Report any concern that dress, uniform or workwear arrangements may present an infection prevention and control, health and safety or safeguarding risk.

11. Legislative and Regulatory Compliance

This policy supports compliance with the following requirements relevant to dress, uniform, workwear and infection prevention and control in a care home service in England:

• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 – Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment. Care and treatment must be provided safely. This includes assessing risks to people’s health and safety, taking reasonably practicable steps to mitigate those risks and assessing, preventing, detecting and controlling the spread of infections, including healthcare-associated infections.
• Regulation 17: Good Governance. {{org_field_name}} must operate effective systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of its services and to assess, monitor and mitigate risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others who may be at risk.
• Regulation 18: Staffing. Staff must receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out their duties safely and competently.
• Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. {{org_field_name}} will have regard to the Code when establishing and reviewing uniform, workwear and dress requirements relating to infection prevention and control.
• Equality Act 2010. Dress and uniform requirements will be applied in a way that avoids unlawful discrimination. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled employees where the statutory duty applies, and restrictions affecting protected characteristics will only be imposed where they are lawful, necessary and proportionate.

CQC may consider evidence relating to staff practice, infection prevention and control, risk management, training, competency, governance and the implementation of policies when determining whether the service meets applicable fundamental standards.

{{org_field_name}} will therefore ensure that this policy is not only maintained as a written document but is communicated to staff, implemented in practice, monitored and reviewed against current legislation, CQC requirements and national infection prevention and control guidance.

12. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if legislation changes or business needs evolve. Any updates will be communicated to staff, and additional training will be provided if necessary.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.