Speaking as a hospital doctor - i haven't seen a doctor wearing a white coat in hospitals for years - i'm not sure why this is being touted as a story. This reflects badly on the govenment for trying to spin a policy initiative. It also demonstrates some rather casual journalism - pop in to a hospital for yourself and see if you can spot a white coat!

Charlie, Birmingham

charlie moss, birmingham, uk

The General Medical Council is a statutory body that regulates doctors by registering them and disciplining individual doctors by fining, imposing conditions or striking off the register. It does not issue orders about the daily work of the entire profession and can only sanction doctors one at a time. Maybe the ministry can. Otherwise, it would probably have to be Parliament.

Terence Mahoney, MB, BS., Daytona Beach,, FL, USA

Yes, this is a good thing, though I liked wearing my white coat as a hospital doctor in the UK, especially in A&E as it tends to stop unwanted groping and makes you immediately visible.

Patricia, Oslo, Norway

It's been known for years that ties and other items of infrequently washed clothing are ideal vehicles for the transmission of infection. Similarly, it has been suspected that the failure by doctors to wash or otherwise disinfect their hands between patients is likely to spread infection. One simple question, why didn't the General Medical Council - the body through which doctors supposedly self-regulate - long ago impose stringent hygiene requirements and back these up with the appropriate use of sanctions? Poor hygeine standards amongst doctors has almost certainly killed in recent years far more patients that the intentional wrongdoing of doctors such as Harold Shipman. Can we really trust the medical profession to continue to self-regulate when such simple measure appear to be beyond its grasp?

Bev, Oxford, UK

Not having 100% bed occupancy is proven to reduce infection rates. New patients being placed into bed-spaces only just vacated however is the norm. The pressure to do this comes from hospital management (who in turn are acting to fulfill government targets). - Historically this has come from Thatcher-era policies to run hospitals like businesses where 100% occupancy would represent maximum efficiency.

Patients are not placed on the ideal ward for their condition - they are placed into the first available bed - to meet Government 4hour waiting times in Casualty (-sorry "Emergency Dept").

Roly, Sommerset, UK

Very few doctors actually wear white coats these days. I would say as low as 3%. They are hot, uncomfortable and restrictive.

This is actually just a sound bite attention grabbing headline from the government. It is also another drive to undermine doctors and make them appear responsible for the spread of superbugs, again because it is headline grabbing.

As for ties, I think a ban is more driven by political correctness and the idea of spread by superbugs is more theoretical than evidence based.

Dr R Campbell, London, UK

Hygiene has been missing from Hospitals for many years. Nurses wear uniforms but what happened to them being cleaned in boiling water in the Hospital.

It is left to the Nurses, so how do we know they are clean on daily.

They do not wear hats on their heads and you see jewellery worn all the time, which is a known source for harbouring germs. Rubber Gloves are not always worn when attending to open wounds, though have noticed over this last year that they are beginning to.

Matrons were a good source of checking that all was well in the Hospitals.

izzy, wirral, england

Does the Health Secretary know that most doctors don't wear white coats? Perhaps he should arrange to visit a hospital to confirm this for himself.

If he spoke to infection control specialists, he might find that inadequate cleaning of hospitals, patients and hands together with 100% bed occupancy rates and uncontrolled visiting contribute to this problem.

Mark s, london, uk

Congratulations for taking this bold step to reduce HAIs by a fraction of a percent. Perhaps the legions working on this war on cuffs initiative over the past years (as MRSA, C.diff have taken hold) may now be free to improve hygiene enforcement and compliance - i.e. the other 99% of the cause.

steve, essex,