New custom-made hats are helping staff at Bournemouth and Poole hospitals work more effectively and connect more easily with patients.
More than 300 staff across 30 theatres at the Royal Bournemouth and Poole Hospital sites are already wearing the reusable hats, which include their name and job title stitched into the fabric. Nearly 1,000 members of University Hospitals Dorset staff are eligible for the scheme, with more hats set to be rolled out.
The initiative is funded by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity and aims to improve communication, collaboration and sustainability within the Trust’s operating theatres. The hats are designed to make it easier for colleagues to identify one another in environments where all staff wear the same scrubs and masks that cover most of the face.
Dr Peter Isherwood, a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine, said: “In the sterile, surgical environment, where everyone is dressed in scrubs, it can be challenging to remember the names of our team members. But the charity-funded hats make it simple to identify each other, learn our colleagues’ names and help patients see who is caring for them.”
The charity says the reusable hats are also helping the Trust reduce waste and lower its carbon footprint by cutting down on single-use disposable headwear. The switch is expected to offer long-term savings as well as environmental benefits.
Debbie Anderson, head of the charity, said: “The hats will help everyone who needs them feel more connected and seen, from our NHS colleagues to patients and their loved ones.”
The hats are now being used not just by theatre teams, but by anaesthetists, radiologists, nurses, midwives and others across the Trust.