Royal Derby Hospital: Disposable sterile hijabs introduced

Junior doctor Farah Roslan (left) with consultant surgeon Gill Tierney

A hospital trust believes it is the first in the UK to introduce disposable sterile headscarves for staff to use in operating theatres.

Junior doctor Farah Roslan, who is Muslim, had the idea during her training at the Royal Derby Hospital.

She said it came following infection concerns related to her hijab that she had been wearing throughout the day.

It is hoped the items can be introduced nationally but NHS England said it would be up to individual trusts.

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Dr Roslan, who works in Lincolnshire, said the idea came to her while she was a medical student with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust.

"I'd been using [the same headscarf] all day which obviously wasn't clean and ideal," she told BBC Radio Derby.

"I didn't feel comfortable taking it off and I was pulled out from the theatre, respectfully, due to infection control."

Miss Tierney mentored Dr Roslan at Royal Derby Hospital

She said a middle ground had to be found between "dress code due to faith" and the "passion" of being in the operating theatre.

Dr Roslan looked to Malaysia, the country of her birth, for ideas before creating a design and testing fabrics.

"I'm really happy and looking forward to seeing if we can endorse this nationally," she said.

Consultant surgeon Gill Tierney, who mentored Dr Roslan, said the trust was the first to introduce the headscarves in the UK.

"We know it's a quiet, silent, issue around theatres around the country and I don't think it has been formally addressed," she said.

"It hasn't cost much and hopefully the effect will be enormous."

The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust said the new headscarves were available to use for the first time earlier in December.