Ordering uniforms for a care home isn't quite like ordering workwear for a construction site or a restaurant. There are specific practical requirements — washing temperatures, infection control, colour coding — that you need to get right. And the process of managing sizes and deliveries across a team of 20, 50, or 200 staff needs to run smoothly.
This guide is written for care home managers and operations leads who are either placing their first uniform order or reviewing their current supplier.
Start with your garment requirements
Before you contact a supplier, it helps to be clear on what you actually need. The most common uniform items for care homes are:
- Tunics — the most popular choice for care assistants and nursing staff. Available in a wide range of colours, short and long sleeve, various fits.
- Scrubs — increasingly popular across all healthcare settings. Comfortable, practical, and easy to wash at high temperatures. A full scrub set (top and trousers) is a neat, professional option.
- Polo shirts — popular for more senior or management roles, or in settings that prefer a slightly less clinical look.
- Fleeces — for staff who work in cooler environments, or for use during outdoor activities with residents.
- Tabards — still used in some care settings, particularly for domestic and kitchen staff.
Think about which garments are right for which roles before you start. A care assistant and a senior carer may need different items, which leads us to the next point.
Colour coding for role identification
Most care homes use colour coding to help residents, families, and visitors quickly identify who does what. Common approaches:
- Navy or royal blue for care assistants
- Burgundy or purple for senior carers
- Grey or black for management and coordinators
- Teal or green for nursing staff
- A contrasting colour for domestic and kitchen teams
If you're setting up a colour-coding system for the first time, keep it simple. Two or three colours maximum is much easier to manage than five or six, and reduces the risk of ordering errors down the line.
We can supply the same garment style in multiple colours with the same logo applied consistently. Everything can be handled in one order.
Logo placement and personalisation
Most care homes embroider their logo on the left chest of tunics and polo shirts. It's clean, professional, and immediately identifies the organisation to residents and visitors.
Beyond the logo, individual names and job titles are very popular in care settings. A personalised tunic — "Sarah, Senior Carer" — adds a human touch that residents and families notice and appreciate. We can embroider names and roles on each garment, even when every garment is different.
Department names or site names are also worth considering if you operate across multiple locations.
Washing durability matters more than you think
Care home garments get washed frequently — often daily — and sometimes at clinical temperatures (60°C or higher). Not all garments or decoration methods hold up under these conditions.
A few things to look for:
- Embroidery is the most durable decoration method for care home uniforms. The stitching is part of the fabric and won't crack, peel, or fade under repeated industrial washing.
- Garment quality matters too. Look for polycotton blends or healthcare-specific fabrics rated for high-temperature washing. We'll advise on the right specification when you request a quote.
- Avoid screen-printed logos on garments that will be washed at high temperatures repeatedly — the print will degrade faster than embroidery under these conditions.
Managing sizes for a large team
This is where uniform orders for care homes get complicated. You might have 40 staff, each needing a different size, potentially across multiple garment types and colours.
Our advice:
- Collect sizes in advance — create a simple spreadsheet with staff name, role, garment type, colour (if applicable), and size. This becomes your order sheet.
- Order a few spares — having 2–3 extra garments in common sizes means you can kit out new starters immediately without waiting for a new order.
- Keep the spec consistent — if you change garment brand or style, you'll need to re-measure everyone. Stick with the same specification once you've found one that works.
What to expect from the ordering process
At Brandify, here's how a typical care home order works:
- Quote — tell us your garment requirements, quantities, and logo. We'll confirm pricing within 4 hours.
- Proof — we'll send a digital artwork proof showing how your logo will look on the garment. Nothing goes to production until you've approved it.
- Production — we produce everything in-house at our Essex facility.
- Delivery — typical turnaround is 3–5 working days from proof approval.
For large orders with individual names, allow a little extra time — we'll confirm the timeline when you get in touch.
No minimum order
Whether you need 3 replacement tunics or 150 full uniform sets, the process is the same. There's no minimum order quantity at Brandify, which is useful for topping up when new staff join or garments need replacing.
Ready to place your order? Get a quote → or call us on 01277 811 670.
Brandify (formerly Brentwood Embroidery) has been supplying uniforms to healthcare organisations and care homes across the UK for over 35 years.