The Scottish Government

Chief Executives, NHS Boards

cc: Medical Directors, NHS Boards

Directors of Nursing, NHS Boards

AHP Directors, NHS Boards

HR Directors, NHS Boards

Employee Directors, NHS Boards

PFPI Directors, NHS Boards

NHS Chairs, NHS Boards

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7 July 2008

Dear Colleague

In view of the recent cases of Clostridium Difficile (C.diff) at the Vale of Leven Hospital, where there were 18 deaths out of 55 cases of C.diff reported between December 2007 and May 2008, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, has asked that interim Dress Code guidance issued to all NHSScotland Boards urgently. This is part of a range of measures that are being implemented across all NHS Boards in response to the situation that has emerged at the Vale of Leven. Kevin Woods wrote to you on 27 June to reinforce your accountability as Chief Executives to ensure that all protocols and procedures in relation to infection control follow all current guidance explicitly and are implemented. As he indicated, further changes may be required following the independent review that is being held into the adequacy of the systems and procedures in place at the Vale of Leven.

With regard to an NHSScotland Dress Code, a working group has been established, with representation from Scottish Government Health Department, NHS employers and Trade Unions, to focus on procuring a national uniform set (a public consultation on the specification ends on July 14) and a national dress code (i.e. standards of dress for all staff, not just those required to wear a uniform).

As a result of this work a draft set of guiding principles has been proposed. These have already been identified by the Department of Health publication: Uniforms and Workwear: an evidence base for developing local policy that was published in September 2007. The principles also take account of Dress Codes already in place across NHSScotland.

The draft Dress Code (attached as a separate document to this letter) sets out these guiding principles. NHS Boards should sense check this interim guidance against local dress policy as well as against the DoH publication. Please ensure this draft guidance is distributed to all staff groups immediately.

The Dress Code continues to be under discussion within Health Directorates and will again be referred to the Management Steering Group (MSG) and the Scottish Governance and Workforce Committee (SWAG). This draft carries, therefore, a strong caveat that detailed discussions remain ongoing.

We are committed to publishing the final version of the Dress Code later this year, ideally alongside the National Uniform specification.

Yours sincerely

Paul Martin Harry Burns

PAUL MARTIN DR HARRY BURNS

Chief Nursing Officer Chief Medical Officer

& Interim Director for Health Workforce