One major development has been the completion of a full system and portal revamp. It is now much easier for hospitals to get set up and place orders with us, with orders able to be added to the system in just minutes. It is a big step forward in making implementation smoother and more scalable for NHS teams.

We recently had a really valuable meeting with Helen Hughes, Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, to discuss the many benefits of full theatre teams wearing clear, easy to read name badges on reusable theatre caps. We also explored opportunities to contribute a blog, which we are now writing, and to take part in a podcast on how badge hats can help improve teamwork and safety in surgery and maternity. Clear identification plays such an important role in communication, inclusion and confidence, and I am pleased to be contributing to that wider conversation alongside our newly appointed clinical advisers.

We are delighted to welcome two fantastic clinical advisers to the Eco Ninjas team, both of whom are already helping to champion safer, more inclusive care.

Mr Andrew Stevenson, a Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon and sustainability co-chair for the Royal College of Surgeons, has been using our badge hats in his department since March last year. He has also secured approval from the Head of Surgery in Somerset to roll them out across the trust. His support and leadership in this area have been hugely encouraging.

Kathryn Harrison, Maternity Manager at Great Western Hospital in Swindon, has also introduced our badge hats in her department as part of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiative. Kathryn has helped improve equality, safety and inclusion for staff, patients and birthing partners in her maternity unit, making a real difference to how open and included people feel.

Together, Kathryn and Andrew are passionate advocates for improving safety, inclusion, communication and the patient experience. It was a privilege to have them with us in Parliament last month, helping to champion what we are working to achieve across the country.

We were delighted that Sandwell NHS Trust placed its first large order of badge hats with us. I also had an insightful conversation with a procurement lead who described some of the challenges they had previously experienced with embroidered hats. One of the biggest issues was waste, caused by staff having to guess their hat size and then being left with bespoke embroidered caps they could not wear if the fit was wrong.

That is one of the reasons we developed theatre badge hats. They are interchangeable, more like scrubs than individually embroidered items. If someone selects the wrong size, it is not a problem, they can simply attach their badge to the size that fits them best. This helps reduce waste, supports central laundering and fits more easily into existing theatre attire processes.

We have also seen growing interest from other trusts, which is another encouraging sign of adoption.

Mr Sarma, a surgeon at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have received encouraging support from the Deans of Birmingham and Aston University, who are supportive of medical students having badge hats as part of their uniform in future. Alongside this, we are running a Quality Improvement project at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, with a view to expanding the work across the UK and internationally. The project will explore how medical students feel when working in surgery, how often they are misidentified, and how wearing badge hats could improve both wellbeing and learning. When students are clearly identified, they are more likely to be engaged, taught and included.

This research programme is being led by fourth-year medical student Krishan Patel under the supervision of Mr Sarma and his two registrars. Operating theatres present unique challenges for communication and teamwork because identical scrub attire and face masks can make it difficult to identify colleagues by name and role.

Our Quality Improvement project will evaluate detachable name badge scrub caps for medical students and other theatre team members to better understand how clearer identification affects confidence, communication and inclusion. Using a two-cycle pre and post design over seven weeks per cycle, the project will measure changes in team identification, communication confidence and patient safety culture, while also considering sustainability and inclusivity concerns linked to disposable, standard sized surgical caps.

We had a great meeting with the Design for Life team, who clearly understand what we are trying to achieve and how strongly it aligns with their objectives. It is always energising to speak with people who immediately see both the practical value and the wider impact of this work.

We have also had some exciting media interest. Musgrove Park in Somerset was visited by the BBC News team last Friday, who spent time filming the badge hats in action. The feature aired on BBC South West News on 27 May 2026, helping to share this important work more widely.

Watch the two-minute video on LinkedIn →

We have also been making the most of some brilliant programme support. We completed and submitted our application to the Amazon Innovation Accelerator under the Social Value category, and we have now graduated from the NHS Propel accelerator programme. We have also been invited to speak on a panel next week, which feels like another encouraging step forward.

We are also taking part in the Net Zero Catalyst programme, where we have been exploring sustainable alternatives in more depth and carefully weighing up longevity, affordability, infection control and day to day practicality. The life cycle mapping has helped us identify the most sustainable materials to use, while also considering how reusable, durable name badges can be designed to last as long as possible. Working with laundry companies could help unlock some of the current processing challenges, which would be another important step forward and could support trusts to integrate badge hats into their existing theatre attire processes.

One final update. We have written another article for The Ergonomist, the magazine of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors. It will be published in the June 2026 edition and is titled What Aviation Taught Us About Safety. We will share it once it is published.

Lastly, like many others, we have felt increasingly concerned by the recent weather and the wider changes happening around us. It is a reminder that sustainability cannot be an afterthought. It needs to be part of the decisions we make now, even in small, practical ways. That is a big part of why this work matters so much to us — finding solutions that improve safety and communication while also reducing waste and supporting a more sustainable future.

We offer sample packs so your team can evaluate Theatre Badge Hats before placing a full order. The cost of the sample pack is fully refundable upon your first purchase.