I have to say that no Jewelry should be allowed near patients.. in fact I have never seen anyone go to an OR Sikh, Muslim or Jew sporting any jewelery or watches.. you must donne the sterile wear of the OR..
everyone complies with this.. and frankly the clothes in themselves are 'ninja like' there is no secular or religious laws when it comes to medical ethics.. but if I have to say medical ethics certainly leans more toward religious laws than secular ones!
I hope this puts the debate to an end.. it has nothing to do with religion it is all about patient safety.. I don't think it matters if you are dealing with patients on an outpatient setting but if you are performing procedures you must take any item that will cause harm off...
of course I have read that England has the worse rate of nosocomial infections in the so called developed world so perhaps it is necessary your medical board to convene and decide what is acceptable as far as patient safety is concerned on an insular fashion!
I have had a dear member of my family my beloved aunt in the ICU for 7 months as one negligent doctor left an item in her bowels after performing a c section and they removed a large chunk of it that became gangrenous she almost died! .. so if you think things can't be dropped in there, think again with blood and inflammation and large standby team things happen and have happened, that is why everything is counted now after every procedure especially towels!
There should be NO jewelery and you should wear the hospital required gear!