Ireland’s Healthcare Assistants Are Moving to Caribbean Uniforms: What This National Shift Means

Healthcare Assistants across Ireland move to new Caribbean uniforms

Ireland is entering a new phase of uniform standardisation, with Healthcare Assistants across the country gradually transitioning from the long established Eggplant shade to a brighter, more visible Caribbean blue. This national shift reflects ongoing efforts to modernise clinical uniforms, improve role clarity and support a more consistent identity for HCAs in busy healthcare environments.

Several hospitals in Galway have already begun rolling out the new Caribbean uniforms, as reported by Galway Bay FM, offering a concrete illustration of this nationwide movement.

A quick look back: why HCAs used to wear Eggplant

For many years, Eggplant was the standard colour worn by Healthcare Assistants across Irish hospitals. It created a unified visual identity and helped distinguish HCAs from nurses and other clinical teams. The aim was simple: ensure clear identification, support consistency across services and make it easier for patients to recognise staff roles at a glance.

Why switch to Caribbean now?

The move to Caribbean is part of a wider national effort to modernise healthcare uniforms and improve visibility on busy hospital floors. Caribbean blue offers stronger contrast, clearer recognition and a more contemporary look compared with Eggplant. It also supports better alignment across hospitals and may tie in with future HSE wide uniform guidelines currently being discussed.

Overall, Caribbean delivers standardisation without compromising comfort or practicality for staff who are constantly on the move.

What this change means for Healthcare Assistants

Caribbean is a bright, modern and highly visible shade, making it easier for patients and colleagues to identify HCAs quickly. With some hospitals already adopting the new colour, the transition is well underway across Ireland.

For HCAs, this shift represents a clearer professional identity and uniforms that reflect the evolving realities of today’s healthcare settings, where teams need to be both easy to spot and ready for long, demanding shifts.

Impact for hospitals and HSE services

For hospitals, the transition to Caribbean means updating procurement processes and aligning uniform orders with the new standard. The result is a cleaner, more consistent visual identity and smoother communication across wards, especially when multiple teams share the same space.

Caribbean also supports long term planning as Ireland moves closer to a unified national approach to clinical uniforms, making it easier to manage tenders, stock and department specific requirements.

Caribbean uniforms available at Happythreads

Caribbean is now one of the most requested colours across our ranges thanks to its brightness, visibility and contemporary feel. At Happythreads, we stock Caribbean options across Koi Cureology, Koi Next Gen, Koi Basics, HappyFIT and more.

Departments can select matching tops and trousers in men’s, women’s and unisex fits, all designed for long shifts and repeated commercial laundering, with inclusive sizing from petite to tall and up to 5XL.

From performance focused Koi Cureology sets to Koi Next Gen styles, these Caribbean uniforms deliver the stretch, breathability and durability Healthcare Assistants need on every shift.

Conclusion

Ireland’s move from Eggplant to Caribbean marks an important evolution in how Healthcare Assistants are identified across hospitals and healthcare services. Caribbean delivers stronger visibility, a modern identity and greater consistency for both staff and patients.

Happythreads is prepared to support this transition with Caribbean options across all major collections, alongside embroidery services, colour matching and department wide order coordination.

Upgrade your team’s uniforms with Happythreads

If your hospital or clinic is preparing for the transition or exploring role specific colours, our team can help you choose the right garments and coordinate full department orders. We supply trusted uniforms across Ireland, the UK and France with full embroidery and colour matching support.