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Inspiration behind Eco Ninjas
In February 2020, while training an operating theatre team, Danielle was asked to write her name and role on her disposable theatre hat. Inspired by the idea and its numerous benefits, she made it her mission to implement personalised theatre hats across the UK.
During her research, Danielle discovered that very few companies offered latex-free, personalised theatre hats, and those that did lacked expertise in the medical sales sector—a field Danielle had specialised in for over 20 years. Recognising this gap, she decided to establish Eco Ninjas and partnered with her brother, Neil, who brings expertise in finance, business, and web design. Together, they saw the immense potential of named theatre hats to improve both efficiency and safety in operating theatres.
Eco Ninjas (formerly Warwick Med) has spent over three years supplying reusable embroidered theatre caps to NHS hospitals across the UK, accumulating extensive knowledge and experience. The team has collaborated with universities, sustainability experts, and consultants to conduct evaluations and microbial studies, gaining a deep understanding of the benefits and challenges of implementing personalised reusable theatre hats. As a result, they have now developed a new range of innovative, fully inclusive personalised theatre hats.
Evolution
Personalised embroidery on reusable theatre hats can be complex and time-consuming, especially when it comes to gathering the necessary information to create bespoke embroidered garments. To address this, we’ve developed a more efficient and effective identification method for theatre staff. Our solution eliminates the need for intricate embroidery while still ensuring clear identification without the hassle of tracking personal details for each hat and without losing many hats each time a member of staff leaves.
Eco Ninjas has successfully integrated a reusable theatre hat with a modern, innovative name badge system. Embroidered garments are not part of the national uniform for many reasons, and the proven method of using plain uniforms with name badges is exactly what we've applied to our new theatre badge hat range.
When we founded Eco Ninjas, we quickly identified the challenges hospitals face in collecting the information needed to order personalised embroidered theatre hats. Determined to find a better solution, we embarked on a journey of research, product testing, and refinement. Through this process, we explored various fixation methods and badge materials—such as magnets, Velcro, and plastic window/pocket designs—eventually discovering the perfect solution.
The result is our new identifiable badge hats, which are easy to attach, remove, and clean, addressing both the challenge of identification and the issue of lost hats, while ensuring optimal hygiene and practicality.
History of theatre attire
After World War One and the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, the use of caps, face masks and rubber gloves, in addition to the white gowns, became common attire for surgeons and their assistants in the operating theatre. The purpose of the mask was to protect the surgeon from the patient’s diseases, rather than protecting the patient from infections, but these additional accessories were not universally worn.
By the 1940s, advances in aseptic techniques and a better understanding of wound infection meant more stringent measures became routine, to reduce the spread of germs in the operating theatre. Along with the sterilisation of instruments and dressings, having a standard surgical uniform was an element in the battle to prevent post-operative infections.
White is the colour we associate with cleanliness and was originally used for surgical gowns. Unfortunately, the bright operating lights in an all-white environment caused eyestrain. By the 1960s, most hospitals had moved to gowns in shades of green to provide a visual contrast. Originally known as ‘surgical greens’, they came to be called ‘scrubs’ because they are worn in a ‘scrubbed’ or sterile environment.
Surgical attire had largely evolved to its modern state in the 1970s. Scrubs are unisex two-piece outfits consisting of a short-sleeve V-necked shirt and drawstring trousers made of cotton/polyester; designed to be comfortable and durable. They can withstand laundering at high temperatures for sterilisation purposes but are easily replaced. In addition to the scrubs when operating, surgeons wear a surgical gown with tie-back or bouffant-style cap to cover their hair, a face mask, latex gloves, and clog-like rubber theatre shoes. We have come a long way from the blood-stained frock coat!
Isaac, 2018, Royal College of Surgeons of England