Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to parts of the NHS regarding allowing individual members of staff to attend LGBT+ Pride marches in uniform.

Policies regarding the wearing of uniforms outside of the workplace remain the responsibility of individual organisations in the NHS.

National uniform guidance was published by the Department of Health in 2010 and set out specific requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to support effective hand hygiene. It was updated in 2020 by NHS England to include equality and diversity measures and stipulates that “it is good practice for staff to change at work or cover their uniforms as they travel to and from work”. The guidance identified shopping in uniform or engaging in other activities as examples of poor practice.

The Mann review into antisemitism and other forms of racism was published on 4 June 2026 and includes recommendations for the NHS to review and strengthen uniform guidance to ensure that political identifiers do not deter patients from seeking and receiving NHS care. The new NHS England guidance on uniforms, which will be published shortly, will draw on staff and stakeholder input and existing best practice in the NHS, including existing guidance at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals.