The colour-coded NHS uniforms for frontline workers that were recently introduced in Welsh hospitals may be scrapped after nurses have complained that they cause irritation and skin rashes.

Hywel Da and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health boards in Wales are the first trusts in England and Wales to introduce the new uniform system. These outfits are designed to make staff and their roles easier to identify; as well as clearly indicating the type of ward that a nurse works in - paediatrics or intensive care for example - the colour-coded system aimed to differentiate senior staff such as those in nurse manager jobs from ward sisters.

It was hoped this would help patients identify relevant members of staff in the busy corridors of the hospital.

This plan could be scrapped though as scores of nurses in the two trusts have reportedly complained that the fabric of the new uniforms has caused irritation and skin rashes, despite undergoing extensive testing before it was used in the uniform.

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly said that only a "minority" of workers had been affected but that the welfare of staff was "paramount". Nursing Times reports that the spokesman said that nurses suffering from the new uniforms have been offered alternative uniforms from the retired stock, which are in plentiful supply.

Wales was the first UK country to introduce a standard NHS uniform last October, though NHS Scotland is set to follow. The different national boards aimed to implement an extremely similar system though it is unknown whether they would be made out of the same fabric.