Gone are the days when you used to find nurses working in hospitals wearing boring white starched Medical Uniforms. Go to any hospital, nursing home, health facility or dental practice and one thing you'll find are nurses dressed in smart, stylish uniforms with attractive colours and prints. Even scrubs aren't scrubs anymore!

Today, wearing comfortable clothes is the first priority of working anywhere and nurses in particular need to wear tunics in which they are comfortable and can work freely. Nurses work 24/7, sometimes they also need to sleep in their uniforms , so it's important that the uniforms they wear are wrinkle free. Having the right uniform ensures that they can continue to focus on providing high quality care for the sick, injured and elderly to the best of their abilities.

Health and caring professionals notoriously work long hours, so it's essential that the medical uniforms they wear are capable of withstanding the everyday challenges of their working environments. This is where the choice of fabric plays a vital role. Garments constructed from a soft, breathable fabric are vitally important during long shifts as they provide comfort and enable the wearer to move freely. Uniforms must also be robust enough to withstand washes at high temperatures in order to reduce bacteria.

Each year, at least 100,000 people who go into hospital contract an infection there. Hospitals are hotbeds for deadly ‘superbugs' such as MRSA, so uniforms that are constructed from anti-bacterial fabric can help to protect against the growth of harmful bacteria by eliminating bacterial spores whilst the uniform is being worn. Anti-bacterial fabric is also designed to prevent body odour, so healthcare professionals continue to work in comfort however long their shifts.

Of course,tunics and uniforms don't just need to be practical, they need to create the right impression, too. Hospitals, surgeries and dental practices can often appear daunting to patients. Ensuring staff look and feel professional can go a long way to reassuring patients that they are in capable hands.

Colour can also play a vital role when it comes to caring for patients. Bright, bold uniforms are designed to ensure that staff are recognised by patients with degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. In fact, research has shown that nurses wearing bright, multi-coloured uniforms make children feel more at ease and their parents more confident, therefore increasing their positive perceptions of nurses. Bold uniforms can also help to brighten up the predominantly sterile, white environments in which medical staff work.

Now more than ever, the medical profession has become trendy. Doctors and nurses have begun to wear their personality at work. Crisp, starched uniforms are out. Innovative designs providing comfort and professional quality are in. And wearing uniforms doesn't mean giving up a sense of style. Many of the new scrub styles have been inspired by the latest catwalk fashion trends borrowing their enticing colour palettes from high-end designer tops. In fact, they wouldn't look out of place if worn outside a medical environment. Medical science is constantly advancing – so too are Medical Uniforms.