Working towards a safer and more sustainable
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Leading the change away from disposable products
Leading the change away from disposable products
Frequently asked questions
The NHS is one of the world's largest healthcare providers.
Many patients visit NHS hospitals, clinics, and surgeries every year for various reasons be it consultations, investigations, procedures, some minor, some major. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that all staff are easily and quickly identifiable to patients, visitors, and colleagues.
Identification and professionalism are implied by the wearing of NHS name badges. They also help in improving safety and security by preventing miscommunication errors. Numerous recommendations have been given on the implementation of name badges.
We at Eco Ninjas have been busy conducting in depth research and we have tried and tested various methods and designs for attaching and detaching badges safely to fabric theatre hats.
After extensive testing with Birmingham University and TWI in Cambridge, we eventually found the perfect solution, and we really hope this could become as standard uniform in operating Theatres throughout the UK.
One example is below:
A recommendation to amend existing policy or develop additional policy to require the wearing of name badges (or similar, but not cards on lanyards) by each type of health professional, bearing in large print the person’s name and title or role.
https://www.psnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Overview-Special-Commission-of-Inquiry-into-Acute-Care-Services-in-NSW.pdf (page 49, recommendation 62 C)
Identification in Theatre settings
In a theatre setting, badges are often covered up by theatre gowns, lanyards are tucked away, and both often have too small a font to read the details from a distance. Lanyards can easily accidentally be turned around, so the names/roles are not always visible, and many other issues arise from wearing this type of name badge also.
https://www.bjanaesthesia.org.uk/article/S0007-0912(18)30585-3/fulltext
It is critical to be able to recognise the importance of using first names, especially in crisis time-sensitive scenarios. Advocates having names and roles easily visible on theatre hats have given feedback to how this simple practice has had a transformational change to their working environment which provides huge benefits.
Over the last five years or so, names and roles have been written directly onto disposable hats, printed onto stickers & stuck onto the hats, ironed-on, printed and embroidered onto fabric hats and this simple low-cost initiative has gathered global momentum and recognition in improving communication and having an overall general improvement in surgical outcomes. We believe that we have the best, safe and eco-friendly alternative to all of these tried methods of identifying staff members using theatre hats.
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How should I care for my theatre hat?Our theatre hats can be laundered in industrial facilities or washed at home. Follow the care instructions provided with your hat for best results.
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How do your products contribute to sustainability?Our reusable theatre hats help reduce landfill waste by replacing disposable hats. They are designed to withstand regular use and can be easily washed and sanitized.
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Embroidered and printed hats have been out there for some time, helping to improve communication. Why not use those instead?We also sell embroidered hats, but ordering is complex and size specific to each individual. Embroidered hats cannot be centrally laundered due to the logistical challenge of getting all of the exact hats back to the right people. Somerset decided to centrally launder their hats, so the detachable badges work well to enable this to be done. Other challenges of embroidered hats are when staff leave, the hats leave with them as no one else can wear them whereas the badges can be simply attached to the correct size of hat and interchangeably worn, just like scrubs.
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How can I customize my theatre hat?You can customize your theatre hat by choosing the style, color, and size. We offer 13 different colors to choose from. Additionally, we provide embroidery options for names, roles, and company logos. Orders are made by hand and take 2-3 weeks to complete.
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What materials are used in your theatre hats?Our theatre hats are made from polycotton, which is lightweight (4oz), 65% Polyester and 35% cotton. They are crease-resistant and suitable for industrial laundering.
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Have you thought about colour coding the labels? The yellow badges look bright.Yes. We started to offer different coloured badges, but this created more complex ordering. Other issues included not being able to write on the badges- black is the best colour to use. If badges were different colours, the names/roles wouldn’t stand out as much. The colour coding would be specific to individual hospitals and may not be able to be used elsewhere which could create more waste. The universal yellow badges can be worn anywhere and taken with the staff members when they leave. Yellow badges with black writing have been identified the best colour contrast for everyone to read easily, including people with dyslexia and dementia- this is why this colour was selected for the ‘hello my name is’ badges also.
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Blank badges would be a good idea, that can be written on for people who visit theatre but aren’t a regular member of the team such as medical students or foundation doctors.) We do have blank badges and with role only so names can be added, as well as names & roles on the blank badges. Somerset have evaluated this, and the written-on badges have been successfully worn by Radiographers, Students, Registrars, Reps and Clinical Scientists. We have recently upgraded our writable badges with a vinal covering to make them last for longer.
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Pretty sure this is well established in new Zealand/Australia ?Embroidered and printed hats have been used in Australia and New Zealand for a few years now, but the detachable badge hats are the first of their kind and Somerset is the first hospital that they have been used in worldwide. The issues and complexities of embroidered hats is outlined in the comment above.
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All staff should know each other’s names and should introduce themselves properly to patients.Due to the complexity of the theatre environment and high turnover of staff as well as frequent visitors to the department such as Radiographers, reps, clinical scientists etc, not all staff will know who these people are or the roles they do.Another factor is the staff learning who often do short rotations such as medical students, student nurses, student ODP’s and Registrars- by the time their faces are recognised by other members of the team, they have moved onto another unit. The name badges on hats can identify everyone from students to Surgeons!
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Colour coding of hats like scrubs would be useful.We are looking to make an adaptation to our ninja tags which is sewn onto the outside of the hats. We are looking to add coloured stripes to the ends of the tags to correspond to the colour codes of scrubs. Yellow = small, Brown = medium, White = large, XL= Pink.
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Is there an inclusive range available for staff from other cultures and religions?We have two sizes of braided hats for staff with hair braids.We have nearly finished our hijab design also and will add it to the range soon.