NSW Health Uniform Colours — Complete Scrub Colour Guide for Nurses 2026

NSW Health's colour-coded uniform system is one of the most structured in Australia. Unlike some state health systems where colour conventions are informal or facility-specific, NSW Health applies a framework across its Local Health Districts that covers most clinical roles — and the expectations around colour compliance, logo identification and professional presentation are taken seriously at most facilities. Understanding exactly what colour applies to your role, and which Local Health District variations might affect you, is the first step to getting compliant scrubs before your first shift.

Infectious Clothing Company has supplied nurses, midwives and healthcare staff across NSW Health facilities since 2001. This guide covers the full NSW Health colour framework by role, the Local Health District variations you need to know about, what the policy framework actually says, and how to order the right colour without having to navigate procurement through your hospital. All scrub colours mentioned in this guide are available through our NSW Health scrubs collection and broader medical scrubs Australia range.

The NSW Health colour framework — all roles at a glance

NSW Health's uniform colour system is designed around instant role identification — so patients, families and colleagues can identify who they're speaking to across any ward, department or clinical setting without relying on introductions or badge-reading. The framework covers most clinical roles, with the most consistent colours applied to the highest-volume roles.

What colour do Registered Nurses wear in NSW Health?

Registered Nurses in NSW Health wear navy blue scrubs. Navy is the most consistently applied colour in the entire NSW Health uniform framework — it is specified for RNs across all Local Health Districts and is the colour a new RN should order without needing to check facility-specific policy first. Whether you're starting at a metropolitan teaching hospital, a regional base hospital or a private hospital that follows the NSW Health colour system, navy is correct for an RN.

The specific shade matters. Navy is a deep, dark blue — not royal blue (which is brighter and more saturated), not charcoal blue, and not the lighter shades sometimes described as "dark blue" in general clothing. When ordering scrubs for NSW Health, select Navy specifically. All three brands stocked at Infectious — Dickies, Cherokee and Wink — carry navy across their clinical ranges, and the shade is consistent enough across brands that mixing brands across a team order is workable for RNs in navy.

Agency RNs who rotate across multiple NSW Health facilities can rely on navy without concern — the colour is accepted at every NSW Health facility and will never create a colour conflict when moving between Local Health Districts. For agency nurses, navy is the single most practical colour investment across the whole Australian healthcare system.

Enrolled Nurses and AINs — ceil blue, teal or something else?

Enrolled Nurses in NSW Health wear either ceil blue or teal — and this is where the most common ordering mistake happens. The two colours are distinct but look similar in photos and on screens, which leads ENs to order the wrong one for their facility. Understanding the difference before you order saves a return and an awkward first shift.

The reason both colours exist within the NSW Health framework is that the system was not rolled out uniformly across all Local Health Districts at the same time. Some LHDs adopted ceil blue as the EN colour when they implemented the framework; others adopted teal. Neither is more correct than the other across the system — the correct choice for your facility is whichever colour your LHD specifies.

For AINs, the picture is less consistent. Facilities that want clear differentiation between ENs and AINs often assign a distinct colour to AINs — wine and raspberry are both used across NSW Health facilities for this purpose, though neither is a system-wide standard. Other facilities use the same colour for both ENs and AINs and rely on badge identification to differentiate roles.

Both ceil blue and teal are available across the Cherokee Workwear Professionals, Cherokee Infinity, Dickies EDS Signature and Wink W123 ranges through our nursing scrubs collection. If you're uncertain which applies to your facility, order a single top in each colour first — both are returnable if unworn and unwashed.

Midwives — eggplant across all NSW Health facilities

Eggplant (purple) is the midwife colour across all NSW Health facilities — and it is one of the most consistently applied colours in the entire Australian healthcare colour system, not just within NSW. A midwife transferring between NSW Health facilities, or between NSW Health and private maternity services in other states, can rely on eggplant being the correct colour in virtually every setting.

The consistency makes practical sense — midwifery is a defined, regulated scope of practice and the identification of midwives to labouring women and families is a genuine safety and communication priority. A woman in active labour in a busy birth suite needs to be able to identify her midwife instantly. Eggplant achieves this because it is distinctive enough to be visible across a room without being confused with any other clinical colour in the NSW Health system.

Cherokee Workwear Professionals carries eggplant in the widest size range of any brand we stock — XXS through 5XL — making it the most reliable choice for midwives who need to match a specific shade consistently across a team. Wink W123 also carries eggplant at a more accessible price point. Both are available through our maternity scrubs collection and nursing scrubs collection.

Local Health District variations — where colour requirements differ

NSW Health operates through fifteen Local Health Districts plus several Specialty Health Networks. While the overarching colour framework is consistent for most roles, LHDs have latitude to apply additional specificity — particularly around EN and AIN colours, and around whether specific brands or styles are required or preferred.

What the NSW Health uniform policy actually says

NSW Health publishes its Dress and Appearance Policy as part of the broader Work Health and Safety and Human Resources policy framework. The policy sets out the principles for professional presentation, infection control, and identification across all NSW Health facilities. It operates as a system-level framework, with individual LHDs and facilities implementing it through local policy or procedure documents.

The policy framework specifies that staff must wear uniforms that are clean, professional in appearance, and that clearly identify their role — both through colour coding and through appropriate identification such as name badges and, where applicable, role designation embroidery. The policy does not mandate specific brands or styles at the system level, though individual facilities may specify preferred brands as part of their local implementation.

The infection control dimension of the uniform policy is worth understanding for nurses who want to know why the requirements exist beyond aesthetics. Clinical scrubs must be made of materials that can withstand the decontamination processes used in healthcare settings — hot washing at 60°C minimum, no fabric softeners that leave residues, and materials that don't harbour pathogens in their fibre structure. This is why clinical scrubs made from performance polyester-cotton blends are specified rather than general fashion fabrics, and why the policy discourages wearing clinical scrubs outside the hospital environment.

For practical guidance on washing and caring for your scrubs to comply with infection control standards, see our complete scrubs washing guide.

Agency and locum nurses — which colour to wear across NSW Health facilities

Agency nurses working across multiple NSW Health facilities face a specific challenge that direct employees don't — the colour that's correct at one facility might not be identical to what's used at another, particularly for ENs where ceil blue and teal vary by LHD. The practical solution depends on your role.

For agency nurses who need to build a rotation wardrobe across multiple colours, ordering through Infectious gives you access to all three brands — Dickies, Cherokee and Wink — in a single order, with free shipping over $250. For a typical agency rotation wardrobe covering two colour groups, the minimum practical set is 3 tops in each colour and 2–3 pants in a neutral that works across both colours (navy pants work under both navy and ceil blue/teal tops in most clinical settings).

Logo identification and embroidery in NSW Health

Beyond scrub colour, NSW Health facilities expect staff to wear clear role identification. For most nursing staff this is handled through the NSW Health-issued name badge, which specifies name and role designation. However, some facilities and some roles additionally require or encourage embroidered identification on the scrub itself — particularly an embroidered facility logo or role designation on the left chest.

Embroidered identification is most consistently required for doctors (who must wear the NSW Health logo and DOCTOR designation — see our NSW Health doctors guide) and for staff at facilities that have implemented a full embroidered uniform program. For nursing staff at most NSW Health facilities, the name badge is sufficient and scrub embroidery is optional rather than mandatory — though some NUM teams encourage it for patient communication purposes.

For facilities setting up a team uniform program with embroidered identification across all nursing staff, Infectious handles the full embroidery process from our Sunshine Coast facility — logo digitisation, name and role embroidery, consistent thread matching across reorders, and coordinated delivery to the ward. Standard turnaround is 5–7 business days for embroidered items.

Embroidery Service

Ward & Team Orders

Which scrub brand for NSW Health colours

All three brands stocked at Infectious — Dickies, Cherokee and Wink — carry the core NSW Health colours. The right choice depends on your role, your budget and whether you're ordering for yourself or a team.

Frequently Asked Questions