A healthcare assistant has defended selling fake NHS uniforms on Tiktok to top up her income despite claims they put lives at risk.
Shannon Adey, who is 28 years old, sells fleeces priced from £16 to £28, offering customers the choice to add a hospital’s name, their personal name, or job title.
But they have been branded ‘dangerous’ by commenters responding to a health care attendant advertising them on TikTok for a commission.
Priced from £16 to £28, purchasers have the option to feature a hospital’s name, their personal name, along with their job title on items such as a navy-blue fleece jacket or sweatshirt adorned with a rainbow design, which closely mirrors the authentic versions.
'I had planned to place an order for one through work , but there was a delay with it, so I figured it would be faster," said Shannon, who is from the West Midlands , told .
'I've been anticipating a name badge since August, hence I'm unsure of how lengthy the process would be for a jacket.'
She then began promoting the 'NHS fleece' on TikTok, utilizing these posts as an additional source of income for herself and her children. As of this writing, those video clips remain available online. One of them had racked up over one million views at that point.
Shannon acknowledged that there might be a danger where 'NHS fleeces' promoted online could be employed to mimic healthcare professionals.
“But I can’t be held responsible if people are already engaging in it,” she said. 'I’m sharing this with positive intentions. Regardless of whatever you promote, there will always be someone who uses it inappropriately.'
Many sellers offer 'Embroidered NHS Fleece Jackets', 'NHS Customized Garments' or 'Customized Hospital Fleece Jackets' through marketplaces such as TikTok, Amazon, and eBay. Additionally, scrubs can be easily found for purchase online.
Certain suppliers mark them as 'available solely for purchase by NHS/Healthcare Organizations'—with shipping restricted to an NHS address and payments coming only from an NHS entity.
However, this does not apply to the 'NHS Rainbow Fleece' available via the store she endorses, as over 2,000 units have been sold. These items can be purchased by anyone.
‘This advert is really really dangerous’, one person said. ‘Anyone can use this to mislead innocent people.’
Another said: ‘Imagine someone gets it with bad intentions to pretend they’re someone in that place. The world is scary enough.’
Those fears are not pure fantasy.
The previous year, a female impersonating a physician administered an unidentified substance to a patient At Ealing Hospital in West London.
Kreuena Zdrafkova, who came in with a white coat, stethoscope, medical gloves, and a yellow badge, stated she was 'fulfilling her dream of being a doctor.' She admitted guilt to the charge of common assault.
Earlier this year, A 13-year-old boy was taken into custody for pretending to be a medical practitioner. – equipped with scrubs and an ID – at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital. Police let him off with a warning.
It's not only doctors who are being impersonated.
In 2015, Andrew Vincent pretended to be an emergency medical technician to gain access to the London Ambulance Service headquarters with the intent of stealing private papers.
'If this person was pretending to be part of the ambulance team,' the prosecutor stated, 'it could aid their scheme, but such deception carries the risk of endangering others.'
Caught after staff recognised him as someone known to have a ‘dangerous obsession’ with ambulances, he admitted fraud and was handed community service and a restraining order.
Pretending to be a medical practitioner amounts to fraud and also stands as a distinct offense, which can result in a monetary penalty.
K.C.T. Embroidery stated: 'I don’t sell items featuring the NHS logo, so I’m not quite certain about who has raised concerns or what their issue might be.'
'I receive numerous requests from clients asking for the NHS logo on their jackets, but all of these orders get turned down.'
They added: ‘There is absolutely no intention in mimicking NHS uniforms.’
The fleece used to advertise their products on their shop bears the name of Wirral University Teaching Hospital.
The National Health Service (NHS) doesn’t maintain a unified system for providing uniforms. Rather, each separate NHS trust purchases their own from different vendors. The Secretary of State for Health holds the trademark rights to both the 'NHS' title and emblem.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told : ‘The NHS logo and the letters ‘NHS’ are registered UK trade marks, owned by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in England, who also owns the logo’s copyright. They may not be used or adapted without the Department of Health and Social Care’s authorisation.
‘We strictly control the NHS Identity and take unauthorised use of the NHS name very seriously. We take action if necessary, against cases of potential misuse that are brought to our attention. However, we cannot comment on the details of individual cases.’
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