The burka hospital gown....

It's gaining in popularity in the UK....you can have any colour as long as it is black...

A burka style hospital gown created at a Lancashire hospital trust to protect patients' modesty has been taken up by scores of hospitals throughout the country.

The idea was the brainchild of Karen Jacob, linen services manager at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals.

The "Inter-faith" gown provides extra comfort and cover for patients undergoing medical procedures and is particularly useful for patients whose culture and religion requires them to be modestly clothed.

But Karen says the gown is aimed at anyone who wants to use to preserve their privacy and dignity.

The gown is made up of five pieces - three head garments, a gown and trousers. They can be mixed-and-matched to allow the patient their required degree of coverage. The sleeves of the gown have elasticated cuffs to cover the patients' arms.

The gown was initially trialled at the Royal Preston Hospital, but proved to be so successful it has been rolled out across the country and is now available at many hospitals alongside traditional hospital gowns.

Karen said: "I came up with the idea when we were talking about promoting privacy and dignity within the trust. A lot of people are reluctant to go into hospital as they do not want to be exposed.

"The gown is not aimed at any set religion or gender, but is there for everyone if they choose to use them.

They can call it an inter-faith gown, but no one is fooled...