I can’t see what the unions bother is (I left the union last year). About time there was a dress code for admin and medical grades as there was none up to now.

The nail polish ban does seem harsh but in the end of the day not wearing nail polish to work won’t kill you but wearing it might kill someone else in a hospital environment. It is highly highly unlikely of course but why take any chances? Dark coloured polish hid many a dirty finger nail and I know that I didn’t want anyone in my hospital (reception staff or otherwise) with less than spotless hands!

The list than Karen gives above- skin tight clothing, halter-neck tops, etc are reasonable things to ban.

Dress-codes are in place because everyone’s idea of appropriate or tacky (nail jewellery anyone?!) is different and a workplace is perfectly entitled to outline some common standards.

SJPMM – honey this is just a post on something that’s in the news at the mo and we thought people might like to chat about it. That’s all there is to most of the posts and you’ll probably see this topic reported everwhere. And what will I do without your funny comments for my next book!

It’s becoming more frequent, this “Are you woman enough to be OUTRAGED?!” tone, and it’s one of the reasons I rarely post here anymore. Which saddens me, as I’ve been popping in here for years.

As an oursider, when I read an article on that dress code policy in the Irish Times, my first reaction was ‘are standards in Irish hospitals so low that they have to remind doctors and nurses about basic hygiene rules?”.
The second was “is that the most important issue the HSE has to deal with?”, so it was nice to have people commenting on their experience of hospital staff as a patient and as staff, like you and a few did.

The cases you and a few others mentioned are worrying, I completely agree. I would run (if possible) from any doctor or nurse with long nails with or without polish. However, I’m still not sure that a memo to all staff is the best way to deal with that. Surely, this sort of issues should be resolved by a stern lecture from the manager?

MollC: I understand how you’re feeling. My sector has bed on the receiving ends of some really bad budget cuts and the effect it has on staff still trying to produce quality work is terrible.

There has been no clerical staff hired in years but when they were, I saw bare mid rifs, nail art, tops which were for night clubs and skirts which were too short. As SJP mole some of the female doctors could do with a few pointers

My colleague had to tell someone to iron her blouse.

The galway hospital issued a dress code eralier this year which didn’t make the papers.