How a new approach to hair can help us provide better patient care
Staff in our Nursing and Midwifery Race Equality Network are working to improve care by helping us change the way we look after our patients’ hair. Find out what they have been doing to help our care become more inclusive, responsive and personal.
When we’re well, we can take our routine for granted. We make our own tea, choose our favourite clothes, and wash our own hair. But when we find ourselves in a hospital bed, our routine falls away, as those around us focus on helping us get better. We put our trust in the extensive team of experts who run tests, help manage our pain, perform our operations, and work to help us recover.
“We always focus on the clinical aspects of care,” says Miriam Phillip, deputy divisional director of nursing for surgery and cancer, and chair of our Nursing and Midwifery Race Equality staff network. “But I think it is important – from a holistic perspective – that a patient feels good about all aspects of their care.”
Unfortunately, it can be easy for personal care to be overshadowed by clinical diligence. In at least one case, this has led to a patient from an Afro Caribbean background having to have their hair cut off as it had not been cared for appropriately. In response, members of the network were keen to find practical solutions to help patients with all hair types.
Finding inclusive haircare products
Miriam, Chenika and colleagues from the network decided to focus on two areas: educating staff about appropriate care for all hair types, and sourcing gentle, soothing hair products for all patients.
Through research, they found Fulham Scalp & Hair Clinic run by Teresa and Eleanore Richardson. The mother-daughter team work just down the road from Charing Cross Hospital. Their range of hypoallergenic hair products is suitable for all hair types.
“Our products have always had a focus on being functional and kind,” Teresa says. “They provide clinical care for the scalp, health and hydration for the hair and all are designed with Afro and mixed hair types at the forefront."
Many of the most common hair care brands are not designed for or tested on curly, mixed or Afro hair types, so they can damage hair or irritate the scalp. Over 200 ethnicities are represented in our local patient population of 2.4 million, so Miriam, Chenika and their network colleagues were keen for us to use a truly inclusive range of products.
“Patients need to feel good, whether you have hair or no hair,” says Chenika Goldson, Pathway to Excellence matron and co-chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Race Equality network. “It is important for us to make sure that we are looking after our patients with the right products and equipment.”
A new approach to hospital haircare
When the time came to find a place to test this new approach to hospital haircare, Miriam and Chenika contacted Carmel Reilly, matron for critical care at Charing Cross Hospital. Carmel had already started working to improve hospital haircare on her unit, and she agrees that intensive care is the right place to test this out.
“Patients who are in intensive care are very unwell,” Carmel says. “Many are on ventilators and are connected to various wires and tubes. They cannot just get up to take a shower or wash their hair. It is extremely important that we provide this element of care for these patients and do it well.”
The new approach includes a training video and instructions, inflatable 'sinks’ for hair washing, and the new haircare products from Fulham Scalp & Hair Clinic. The Charing Cross critical care team will pilot this approach over the next three months. The aim is to then roll out an improved approach across our hospitals, adding the inclusive haircare guidance to the Trust personal hygiene policy and widening access to inclusive haircare products.
The project is just one example of our efforts to create a genuinely fair and inclusive organisation for our staff, patients and communities. The commitment to anti-racism and anti-discrimination we made in September 2024 solidifies our investment in the work so many of our staff are already doing. This is one tangible step towards being more inclusive and responsive to our diverse patients and to delivering truly holistic care.
“The inclusive haircare project showcases the power of our staff networks to help us develop innovative solutions to widespread issues that may pass under the radar and not receive adequate attention,” says Koya Greenaway-Harvey, head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
“This project is a fantastic example of anti-racism in practice – it widens the provision of care to ensure that we actively cater to all patients, regardless of hair texture, ethnicity or race. It is part of our commitment to ensure ‘all staff have the time, skill and resources’ to make innovative improvements that are meaningful to our communities.”
