White physio and OT uniform: why it's on hold

Short answer

• Derbyshire Community Health Services said on 3 June 2026 that NHS Supply Chain found the new white uniform below its expected quality.
• Its therapists were told to keep wearing existing uniforms until a suitable fabric is tested. The trust expects a possible 12 to 18 month wait.
• We found no national notice of a pause, and no public detail of the defect. Other trust pages still list white.
• The color scheme has not changed: physios remain white with navy trim, and OTs white with bottle green trim.

In this guide (10 sections)

1. Why is the white physio and OT uniform on hold?
2. What is wrong with the white fabric?
3. Is the white uniform on hold at every trust?
4. What do physios and OTs wear on the national uniform?
5. Why are physios in white at all?
6. What should you do if you have the new white uniform?
7. Can physios and OTs wear polo shirts instead?
8. How should you wash a white uniform?
9. Does this affect NHS Scotland?
10. What to check before you act

The clearest public account comes from one trust. On 3 June 2026, Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS) told staff that NHS Supply Chain had confirmed the new white uniform for occupational therapy and physiotherapy was below the quality it expected, and that therapists should keep their existing uniform until a fit-for-purpose fabric is tested and secured. The color scheme itself has not changed, and we found no national announcement of a pause.

Why is the white physio and OT uniform on hold?

The DCHS updates give the only dated timeline we could find:

Date	What DCHS said
23 March 2026	Staff had raised potential quality concerns about the white fabric. The trust was urgently reviewing them.
3 June 2026	NHS Supply Chain had confirmed the white uniform was "below the standard of quality" it would expect.
3 June 2026	Once a suitable material is found and samples are made, they will be trialled before wider rollout.
3 June 2026	The new national white uniform may take 12 to 18 months to become available.

So the 12 to 18 months is one trust's expectation, written in June 2026. It is not a national date. If it holds, the uniform would become available between about June and December 2027, but treat that as arithmetic on an estimate, not a promise from anyone.

What is wrong with the white fabric?

We don't know, and neither update says. DCHS gives no detail of the specific defect. We looked for a statement from NHS Supply Chain, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy or the Royal College of Occupational Therapists describing it, and found none. We could not open NHS Supply Chain's own uniforms page during this check, so a notice may exist there.

Shop blogs and forums may offer explanations. We aren't repeating any, because we couldn't trace them to a primary source. The 2023 coverage does show the fabric was tested earlier: Physio Update reported that NHS Supply Chain ran a wearer trial and had the garments checked by an independent testing house for durability, washing and color. It doesn't say whether white was assessed separately.

DCHS describes the national uniform as using lightweight, breathable fabric with an extra 10% stretch. That describes the range, not the fault. For what those fiber choices usually mean, see our guide to scrub fabric blends.

Is the white uniform on hold at every trust?

We can't confirm that. Here is what other pages said on 3 November 2026:

Trust page	Physiotherapist	Occupational therapist	Mentions a pause?
The Christie	White, navy trim	White, dark green trim	No
East of England Community Health and Care	White, navy trim	White, bottle green trim	No
Frimley Health	White, navy trim	White, dark green trim	No
London North West University Healthcare	White, navy trim	White, dark green trim	No; says some staff may wear the older style during transition
Pennine Care	White, navy trim	White, dark green trim	No

Silence on a patient-facing page tells you little. These pages exist to help patients recognize staff, so they wouldn't normally discuss fabric. Frimley's was last reviewed in May 2025, and most of the others show no date. A trust may have paused the garment internally and left the page alone.

The practical point: if you work at another trust, this story alone doesn't tell you your position. Ask your uniform lead.

What do physios and OTs wear on the national uniform?

The color assignments stand. NHS Supply Chain's Colourways Update, marked version 6 and dated 2 October 2024, gives three white-based roles:

Role	Base	Trim
Physiotherapist	White	Navy
Occupational therapist	White	Bottle green
Orthotist	White	Hospital blue

The earlier 2023 sheet labels the third role "prosthetist/orthotist". Some trust pages call bottle green "dark green", which is a wording difference. Most other allied health professions use a ruby base, with a trim showing the profession. Our NHS uniform colours guide has the full list, and the NHS colour lookup shows approximate screen swatches.

Trusts outside the national scheme can differ again. The uniform guide on the uhliverpool.nhs.uk site also lists physios in white with navy trim and OTs in white with bottle green, but puts several other therapy roles in white too, which is not what the national sheet does.

Why are physios in white at all?

Because they asked to be. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said on 25 May 2023 that a national consultation found a magenta base was the overall preference across allied health professions, while physiotherapists strongly preferred white. More than 6,000 physiotherapy staff responded. The CSP pressed NHS Supply Chain to respect that vote, and two bases were agreed.

Physio Update reported that the base colorway survey drew over 26,000 responses, with physiotherapists the largest group at 23.2%. The sheets published later use ruby as the other allied health base.

For physios, the CSP said the only real change was a smart scrub top replacing the tunic, with navy trousers and polo shirts still an option. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists described a white smart scrub tunic with a green trim, and black or navy trousers.

That history gives this finding extra weight for physios. White was the outcome their professional body lobbied for, and it is now the colorway with the reported fabric problem.

What should you do if you have the new white uniform?

These are DCHS's instructions to its own staff. They are a useful guide to the questions to ask, but they don't bind anyone else:

• Not yet issued: keep wearing your existing uniform.
• Issued and happy with it: you may wear it.
• Issued and not happy with it: don't throw it away. Return it to the trust's logistics team.
• Keep both sets: staff were told not to dispose of new or old items while the review continues.
• Ordering: white uniforms from the current range remain available through the usual process, though additional stock orders are being handled pragmatically.

At any trust, don't buy a replacement white top from a shop to fill the gap without checking first. A retail garment may not meet your trust's policy, and it may not be washable at the temperature your policy expects. Our guide to scrubs washable at 60 degrees explains how to read care labels, and the brand spec table shows published care details by style.

Can physios and OTs wear polo shirts instead?

Possibly, but don't assume so. At DCHS, the white polo is the OT and physio colorway only where a polo has been approved. The update limits polos and shorts to a clinically supported health condition, a reasonable adjustment or another exceptional circumstance, and it says they aren't a seasonal option for warm weather.

The same update says polo tops won't be embroidered, because embroidered garments can't be washed at 60 degrees. If your trust uses polos differently, its own policy applies. The 2023 RCOT page noted that polos, sweatshirts and cardigans sat outside the national project, under local arrangements.

How should you wash a white uniform?

The same way as any other uniform. NHS England's 2020 guidance for employers says to wash at the hottest temperature the fabric allows, and that a 10-minute wash at 60°C removes almost all micro-organisms. Check the label on the garment you actually have, because old and new uniforms may carry different instructions. Our guide on how to wash scrubs sets out the detail, and washing your uniform at home covers when home washing is not allowed.

Does this affect NHS Scotland?

Not directly, on what we have seen. Scotland has its own national uniform under DL(2018)4, which puts registered allied health professionals in Mediterranean blue tunics with navy trousers rather than white. The DCHS update concerns England's national range.

What to check before you act

• Ask your uniform lead whether your trust has paused the white uniform, and get the answer in writing if you can.
• If you have been issued the new top, ask whether to wear it, return it or keep it.
• Don't dispose of any uniform until your trust tells you to.
• Check the care label on whichever uniform you wear.
• Treat 12 to 18 months as one trust's June 2026 estimate, and look for a later update.
• If you notice a problem with a garment, report it through your trust rather than relying on online advice.

Questions people ask

General information only, not medical, legal or employment advice. Your employer's uniform and laundry policy comes first, and brand specs and prices change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources

1. National uniform rollout: further update, 3 June 2026 (Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS FT)checked November 3, 2026
2. National uniform distribution update, 23 March 2026 (Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS FT)checked November 3, 2026
3. NHS Healthcare Uniforms: Colourways Update, version 6, 2 Oct 2024 (NHS Supply Chain, third-party file copy)checked November 3, 2026
4. NHS supply chain announce decision on AHP uniform for England (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 25 May 2023)checked November 3, 2026
5. Meet the new colourways for NHS uniforms in England (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, 25 May 2023)checked November 3, 2026
6. Article on the NHS Supply Chain AHP uniform decision (Physio Update, 26 May 2023)checked November 3, 2026
7. Recognising our uniforms at The Christie (The Christie NHS Foundation Trust)checked November 3, 2026
8. Our uniforms (London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust)checked November 3, 2026
9. Staff uniform (Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust)checked November 3, 2026
10. NHS staff uniforms (East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust)checked November 3, 2026
11. Recognising your care (Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, reviewed 16 May 2025)checked November 3, 2026
12. Get to know our different staff uniforms and what they mean (uhliverpool.nhs.uk, undated)checked November 3, 2026
13. Uniforms and workwear: guidance for NHS employers (NHS England, 2 Apr 2020)checked October 23, 2026
14. DL(2018)4: NHSScotland national uniform and dress code (Scottish Government)checked October 27, 2026