What uniforms do nurses wear?

Most UK nurses today wear either scrubs (a V-neck tunic with matching trousers) or a tunic and trousers in NHS-approved colours. Both are designed to be simple to clean, with minimal seams and recessed pockets where contaminants could collect. They're also constructed from fabric that withstands industrial laundering at high temperatures. Scrubs are more common in theatre, A&E, and acute settings; tunics and trousers are more common on general wards and in community nursing.

While traditional nurses' uniforms are still common in some countries, North America and Western Europe moved to healthcare scrubs and tunics as the 20th century progressed. The idea was to make healthcare uniforms simpler, more comfortable, and more hygienic.

Nursing uniform colours in the UK signal role, grade, and in some trusts ward or department. Blue is the prevailing nursing colour, used on nurses' tunics and healthcare trousers across most NHS settings. Within the blue palette, lighter shades denote student nurses and junior registered staff, and darker shades denote senior nurses and ward managers, giving patients and other staff a quick visual read on grade.

Other clinical roles use distinct colours to differentiate from nursing. Pharmacy uniforms are bottle green, physiotherapy and occupational therapy are white with a bottle green trim, and several other clinical groups in ruby with role-specific trims. Non-clinical staff (housekeepers, porters, cleaners, caterers) wear a separate palette again. Doctors don't have a single mandated uniform.

Until 2024, each NHS trust set its own colour conventions within these broad patterns. The variation produced inconsistency for patients moving between hospitals and duplicated procurement costs across the NHS. The NHS Healthcare Uniform Framework, introduced in 2024, standardises the palette and garment specification across nursing and other clinical roles.

As of 2026, many NHS trusts have moved to the national palette and specification, while others continue to operate their existing uniform systems or are transitioning in phases.

Male nurses' uniforms in the NHS have moved progressively from a distinct men's pattern (historically the high-necked white jacket with epaulettes) to the same scrub or tunic-and-trouser combination worn by other nurses, in the colour appropriate to grade. Where trusts still issue separate male nurses' uniforms, the distinction is now usually limited to fit and pattern rather than colour or style.

Nursing students on UK placement typically wear a uniform supplied either by their university or by the placement trust. The colour is usually a distinct pale or mid blue that differentiates students from registered nurses at a glance. This is a function the framework continues, with student nursing uniforms in a lighter blue than the registered staff palette.

For procurement teams at NHS trusts and partner universities, nursing students' uniforms need to be specified against the same fabric and construction standards as registered staff uniforms, since they share the same wash and wear environment. Treating student uniforms as a lower-specification line typically produces faster wear and visible inconsistency on the wards.

The NHS Healthcare Uniform Framework is gender-neutral in design intent, meaning the same garment styles apply across the workforce. However, they are still supplied in men's and women's patterns drafted separately rather than scaled from a unisex base. This produces a consistent visual identity for nursing across the workforce while accounting for the fit differences that affect comfort and presentation over long shifts.

Some workwear 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. But 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.

Hospital nurse uniforms under the NHS Healthcare Uniform Framework follow the standardised national palette and specification. Nurses working in community settings, GP practices, mental health trusts, and care homes may wear different garments and colours. Community nursing teams often retain trust or service-specific uniform conventions, and care home nursing staff typically wear uniforms set by the care home group rather than the NHS framework.

For procurement teams operating across both hospital and community or care home settings, this means a single uniform specification rarely covers the full range. The hospital nurse uniform sits inside the framework, while community and care home nursing uniforms sit outside it and need to be specified separately.

Alsico is the awarded supplier for the majority of the NHS Healthcare Uniform Framework, producing nurses' uniforms across the national palette and grade range. Our garments are specified against NHS laundry conditions (washable at 85°C) and constructed for industrial laundering, with full women's, men's, and unisex size grading across the registered nurse, senior nurse, healthcare assistant, and student grades.

Our female healthcare tunic features action-back pleats and side vents for ease of movement, custom trims for role differentiation and a smart appearance. It also has 4 pockets and 2 lined pen pockets, including one sized to attach a fob watch, removing the need for a wristwatch (which is harder to keep hygienic). Our smart scrub tunic is made from a lightweight, comfortable fabric also washable at 85°C, with back pleats and side vents for movement, a smart crossover design, customisable trims, and 3 pockets and 2 lined pen pockets that are functional and waterproof.

Pair our tunics and scrubs with our range of straight-leg trousers, which offer comfort, durability, and ease of movement through their sustainable stretch fabric and elasticated back waistband.

All our healthcare uniforms come in a wide range of NHS-approved colours, so you can specify the right uniform whether your trust has moved to the framework palette or is operating its own colour conventions. If you're specifying above the framework baseline, our premium collection (Spirit, Mode, and Power) uses higher-specification, more sustainable fabric technology with an emphasis on both professionalism and personal style.

Alsico is also the awarded supplier to the NHS non-clinical supply chain, providing workwear for porters, cleaners, caterers, and other support staff under colour and design conventions that complement the clinical palette.