What struck everyone involved — including the surgeon leading the Somerset pilot and midwifery manager Kathryn Harrison from Swindon — was that the most meaningful outcomes were not the environmental or cost saving benefits, even though these matter greatly. The strongest impact was centred entirely on people.

Patients feel safer, more reassured and better able to understand who is caring for them. This matters even more in high pressure environments and for people with additional needs or communication challenges.

International colleagues, trainees and people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds shared that they felt more connected and more confident as part of the team. Clear identification strengthens communication, reduces hierarchy and supports calmer, more coordinated responses under pressure.

As we prepare for our visit to Westminster, we will focus on the priorities that have emerged from real clinical teams:

We recorded a vodcast with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, joined by Elizabeth Fitzhugh, Net Zero Lead at UHCW and former theatre manager. Together we traced the journey from the moment in 2020 when she first asked us to write a name on a disposable theatre hat — through the early embroidered versions, and into the development of truly sustainable reusable badge hats.