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Working for Florence: what to wear
Working for Florence: what to wear

Clothing guidelines for nurses and healthcare assistants

Stephen Paul avatar
Written by Stephen Paul
Updated over 8 months ago

It’s important to wear the right clothes whenever you work a shift with Florence. This is to make sure you follow infection prevention and control standards, as well as look professional.

If you don’t wear the right clothing (including a Florence tunic), you might be stopped from booking shifts with us, so it’s important to follow the dress code guidelines below.

See our full Professional Standards of Dress Policy for nurses and healthcare assistants at this link.

What to wear

Make sure you wear these items whenever you’re on shift.

A name badge (ID Badge)

It’s vital to wear a name badge so that people know who you are. If you don’t have a Florence name badge, chat with us now.

A Florence tunic

Wear a clean Florence tunic to every shift. You can order additional Florence tunics on the Florence app via this link.

Important: if you’re working an NHS shift, you can wear your Florence tunic or a plain tunic.

Plain healthcare trousers

Healthcare trousers, or scrub trousers, are comfortable and easy to wash. You can order trousers at sites like these:

If you need to wear a specific item of clothing for health, religious or personal reasons, please get in touch with your account manager to talk about your needs.

Bare below the elbows

It’s important to keep your forearms bare below the elbows to avoid the spread of infection. Don’t wear long-sleeve tops or long-sleeve thermal underwear under your Florence tunic.

Hair tied back

Tie long hair back to keep it out of the way, and use clips to secure longer layers at the front of your hair while you’re on shift.

Short, clean fingernails

Keep your fingernails short and clean at all times – and don’t wear nail polish on shift.

Jewellery

Replace dangly earrings and hoops with studs while you’re on shift. You may be able to wear a plain wedding band at work.

Shoes

Wear flat shoes (or shoes with a very low heel) while on shift. All shoes need to be closed-toe – please don’t wear sandals. You can order shoes at sites like these:

What not to wear

Here’s what to avoid when getting ready for a Florence shift.

No name badge

Make sure you wear the correct name badge every time you show up for a shift. If you don’t wear a name badge (or wear the wrong name badge), you won’t be allowed to work.

A dirty tunic

Make sure you wear a clean, freshly washed tunic that you change into at the beginning of your shift (don’t wear your tunic while travelling to your shift). Wearing a dirty tunic can spread infection from one care provider location to another.

Wearing your hair down

If you have long hair, tie it back. If you wear your hair down, it could get in the way when you’re helping a client or patient.

Long sleeves

Follow the “bare below the elbows” (BBE) rule to help stop the spread of infection. If your forearms get dirty, you can wash them – but you can’t easily wash long sleeves on shift.

Jeans

Don’t wear jeans on shift. Instead, wear healthcare trousers, or a dress or skirt with plain-coloured (black, navy blue or tan) tights underneath.

High heels

High heels increase the risk of ankle injuries and make it much harder to physically support clients. When working with Florence, wear closed-toes shoes with a flat sole or very low heel.

False lashes

Avoid wearing false lashes while you’re on shift, because they could fall off or stop you seeing clearly.

Visible jewellery

Don’t wear untucked necklaces, large earrings, bracelets or multiple rings at work. Tuck your necklace under your Florence tunic, replace dangly earrings or hoops with studs, remove bracelets and stick to a plain wedding band while you’re on shift.

Important: uniform guidelines for support workers are different. Please check your care provider clothing policy before arriving for your support work shift.

Watch this video if you are still unsure:

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