Nurses tell patients not to wear pyjamas in the daytime

LAZING around in pyjamas when ill may feel like the best medicine.

But nurses at a top hospital are now instructing patients to get out of bed and get dressed in a bid to help them recover faster.

New rules at Whittington Hospital in north London tell patients not to wear pyjamas and dressing gowns during the day.

The edict follows research that suggested those who get up and walk about feel better faster – and go home sooner – than those who spend all day in bed.

Chief nurse Michelle Johnson said: ‘It isn’t normal to spend all day in pyjamas at home, so why should they do this in hospital?

‘Getting dressed makes it more likely our patients will move

‘Regain strength, go home sooner’

around, meaning they will regain strength and go home sooner.’

The Whittington is in step with a major NHS England campaign to end ‘pyjama paralysis’.

Chief nursing officer Professor Jane Cummings believes wearing pyjamas or nighties all day in hospital reinforces the feeling of being ill and frail, and makes patients want to stay in bed longer.

Patients at Whittington are now being asked to get dressed in a new outfit each day and walk about as soon as they are well enough. They are also being encouraged to put on make-up, shave and do their hair, with the help of relatives if needed.

The NHS’s pyjama paralysis campaign is partly aimed at reducing bed-blocking, where patients stay in hospital unnecessarily despite being medically fit. Experts also believe patients recover less quickly in hospitals and are at risk of becoming ill again through infections.