NHS suffers backlash over removing the word 'woman' from cancer and pregnancy web pages as over a thousand staff complain
NHS staff have signed a letter demanding that the word 'woman' is reinstated
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NHS staff have demanded that the service reinstates the word “woman” in its cancer and pregnancy website pages after it was removed from the official NHS site.
Workers have called for the change after at least 19 female health pages on the website removed the term “woman” or if it used it is accompanied by inclusive language.
The changes include pages on ovarian cancer, uterus cancer, menopause, childbirth and heavy periods.
A total of 1,200 NHS doctors, nurses and health practitioners have shared their concerns with bosses in a letter.
Several NHS pages has had the word 'woman' removed
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Four UK chief nursing officers have also signed the letter over the “discriminatory” change “which harms women”.
A letter sent to the NHS said: “Removal of sex-based language is discriminatory and could leave the NHS open to legal challenge.
“We call for the reinstatement of sex-based, respectful communication that meets the healthcare needs of women.
“Specifically, the NHS must use women's words for women's bodies and women's health problems.
“NHS.UK healthcare messaging shows a lack of concern for women, is disrespectful and insults women.”
The Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender wrote the letter after spotting the use of “you”, “people” and “person” on many NHS.UK webpages.
Previously, the NHS guidance on miscarriages read “for most women, a miscarriage is a one-off event and they go on to have a successful pregnancy in future”.
But now the page has changed the term to “most people”.
Similarly, the NHS official guidance for ovarian cancer previously began by saying it “is one of the most common types of cancer in women”, now this sentence has vanished along with any mention of women.
A total of 1,200 doctors, nurses and medical practitioners have signed the letter
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The letter's signatories include four ex-NHS trust executives, Maura Buchanan, a previous Royal College of Nursing president and two peers.
“These changes have occurred by stealth across the UK, over the past couple of years,” Dr Louise Irvine, a spokesman for the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender, told The Telegraph.
“NHS communications exist to promote and support the health and wellbeing of the UK population, of which over half are women.
“Our guiding principle as clinicians is ‘first do no harm’ and yet these underhanded, ideologically-driven changes in the NHS, which trump evidence-based healthcare, carry real risks and impact real lives.”