Corporate document
Talking about people
Talking about people
Use person‑centred language. Be respectful, empathetic and inclusive. Person-centred language reflects good manners and sensitivity, not political correctness. There are some examples in table 1.
Avoid labelling people. Conditions describe what a person has, not what a person is. Diseases are treated, not people. Diseases, not people, respond to treatment. Conditions, not people, are monitored. People are not unsuitable for treatments: treatments are unsuitable for them. People have diseases, they do not suffer from them.
Important exceptions are 'autistic people' and 'disabled people'.
| Do use | Do not use |
|---|---|
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People with diabetes |
Diabetics |
|
People with schizophrenia |
Schizophrenics |
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People with obesity |
Obese people |
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People who smoke |
Smokers |
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People who use drugs |
Drug users, drug addicts |
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People who are dependent on alcohol People who misuse alcohol |
Alcoholic People who abuse alcohol |
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A person with depression A person with a mental health condition |
A person suffering from depression Mentally ill, mental health problems |
|
People with behaviour that challenges services |
People with challenging behaviour |
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People with a learning disability |
People with learning disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities |
|
Disabled people |
People with a disability |
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Autistic people |
People with autism |
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Surgery is unsuitable for some people |
Some people are unsuitable for surgery |
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If the disease has already been treated |
If the person has already been treated |
|
The disease did not respond to treatment |
The patient did not respond to treatment |
|
When monitoring the disease |
When monitoring the patient |
Also see GOV.UK's inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability.
Try to use people, not patients or service users. Sometimes it will make sense to use other terms (for example, when talking about clinical trials or to distinguish from other groups), but even then, consider people in the trial or people who use X services.
Deaf and blind
Deaf can be used to mean any range of hearing loss, but Deaf (with a capital D) may also refer to people who consider themselves to be part of a cultural or linguistic minority. Most members of this community use a sign language as their preferred language. People with hearing loss or people with hearing impairment may be more suitable.
Blind refers to total loss of vision. Visual impairment refers to any kind of partial sight that is below 'normal' levels. Remember to use whichever is appropriate for the context.
Age
Always be specific when talking about people's age. For example, if you mean people aged 65 and over, say 'people aged 65 and over', do not say 'people aged over 65' or 'over 65s'.
Do not use the age of… or …years of age. Saying X‑year olds is fine.
When talking about children, be clear whether you are giving the age in years or months.
Do not use neonates. If you mean newborn babies, say in newborn babies. If you specifically mean the neonatal period, say in newborn babies aged 27 days and under.
Do not use age groups if possible, because they mean different things to different people. We do use the following terms to mean the following age ranges, but they should be defined at first use for clarity:
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babies: aged 1 year and under
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children: aged 11 and under (but define in brackets because child means different things to different people)
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young people: aged 12 to 17 (but define in brackets because young person means different things to different people)
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adults: aged 18 and over
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older people: aged 65 and over.
Faith
Avoid faith-specific language or terminology that may exclude some of our users (use first name not Christian name).
Use faith groups to refer to people with religious beliefs collectively. Take into account the customs and practices associated with particular beliefs, but avoid stereotyping or making assumptions. Give examples if possible, but do not try to list every possible faith group that shares a particular belief.
Ethnicity
Use a capital letter and be specific when talking about someone's ethnic background. For example, 'levels of diagnosed ill health are higher in Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean groups'. Use the UK Government's list of ethnic groups for how to refer to specific ethnicities or broader ethnic groups.
If you cannot be specific, use 'ethnic minority'. For example, 'The study included 13 people from ethnic minority backgrounds'.
Do not use Black, Asian and minority ethnic, or the abbreviations BME or BAME.
Skin colour
Only use skin colour if it's essential to make sense of what you're discussing. Use lowercase 'black', 'white' or 'brown', not 'dark' or 'light'.
If talking about a condition that affects the skin, be specific if it looks different on different skin colours. For example, 'pressure ulcers in people with brown or black skin tend to present as purple or blue patches, whereas in people with white skin they tend to present as red patches'.
Sex, gender and sexual orientation
Do not confuse sex, gender and sexual orientation, but remember that these can intersect. Use 'sex' when talking about biological sex. For example, 'there is not enough evidence to know if these treatments affect people differently based on sex'. See NHS.uk for definitions of sex, gender and sexual orientation.
When to use neutral language
Use neutral language, when possible. This usually means using 'people', 'they' and 'them'. Or it may mean not including the population (or populations) if the wording makes sense without it. For example:
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'Tests could lead to fewer people having unnecessary chemotherapy'.
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'Explain how radical treatment for prostate cancer may have negative effects on urinary function'.
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'Continue with vitamin B12 replacement if treatment was started before pregnancy or breastfeeding'.
When to be specific about sex or gender
If being neutral would be unclear, unsafe or inaccurate, be more specific. For example, if you need to refer to different populations within the same document, or to make a recommendation for a specific population.
Use the following terms if you need to be specific about gender: men, women, trans people, trans men, trans women and non-binary people. For example, 'hybrid closed loop systems are an option for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes for women, trans men and non-binary people who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant'. Do not use transpeople, transwomen or transmen.
We generally avoid saying just 'men' or 'women' because doing so could exclude people whose gender identity is different from the sex they were born with. But we do use just 'men' and 'women' in some situations – see the section on talking about services, specialties and evidence for population groups.
Use 'male' or 'female' when referring to sex registered at birth. For example, 'offer transient elastography to diagnose cirrhosis for women, trans men and non-binary people registered female at birth who drink over 35 units of alcohol per week'.
You can also refer to male or female anatomy when this is relevant and needed for clarity. For example, 'men, trans women and non-binary people born with male reproductive organs can have a genetic risk of having a pathogenic variant associated with ovarian cancer', and 'recurrent urinary tract infections are particularly common in women, and trans men and non-binary people with a female urinary system'.
Talking about services, specialties and evidence for population groups
Do not change the words that describe broad services or medical specialties. For example, 'maternity services'.
Do not change the words used to describe population groups if you are referring to statistics or clinical trial evidence. For example, 'Kim (2020) reported that 67% of people were female' or 'the clinical trial included 44 men'.
Talking about sexual orientation
Use 'sexual orientation' not 'sexuality'. For example, 'Residential care should reflect sexual orientation and cultural preferences'.
Be specific, and remember that sexual orientation and gender can intersect, when talking about sexual orientation. You can use, for example, lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, or pansexual. For example, 'Ensure staff are aware that bisexual and asexual people are also at risk of forced marriage'. Use Stonewall's glossary on LGBTQ+ terms for how to refer to specific sexual orientations.
If it's not possible to be specific, use the abbreviation LGBTQ+ (no need to spell it out). For example, 'Consider providing services for particular groups experiencing homelessness, such as LGBTQ+ people'.
Disfigurement
You can use 'disfigurement' to talk about a group of people, for example, 'people with disfigurements often experience unwanted staring'.
But, if referring to an individual, avoid 'disfigurement' and do not use 'disfigured person', 'defect' or 'deformed'. Instead, use a term that describes the individual, such as 'scars from a cancer operation', or 'Moebius syndrome'.
If describing a cancer, or surgery, avoid using the word 'disfiguring'. Use neutral words, such as 'skin cancer, which can change the appearance of the face if it spreads'. Or specifically describe what the surgery is, for example, 'surgery to remove the nose'. You could also use 'surgery that causes a visible difference to a person's face'.
Socioeconomic status
Socioeconomic status is an umbrella term and covers many factors, including, but not limited to:
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education
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the ability to understand words and language
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employment
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income
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food security
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housing security
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living environment.
Only use 'socioeconomic status' if you are using it as an umbrella term to cover 2 or more of these factors.
If you're talking about a specific socioeconomic factor or group (for example, people experiencing homelessness), talk about that specific factor or group instead.
Be specific whenever possible and avoid using 'socioeconomic status' when it may create vagueness or uncertainty.
Avoid using 'low' or 'lower socioeconomic status', or 'high' or 'higher socioeconomic status' because this implies judgement. Do not use 'class', 'poor people' or 'wealthy people'.
Consider whether using 'socioeconomic factors' is more appropriate, depending on the context. For example, 'Socioeconomic factors affect a person's ability to engage in health activities, afford housing, and manage stress'.
| Do use | Do not use |
|---|---|
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Be aware that people who do not have English as a first language may need further support to understand how to manage their condition. |
Be aware that, depending on their socioeconomic status, some people may need further support to understand how to manage their condition. |
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People on a low income. |
People of low socioeconomic status. |
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People from the most deprived areas and younger people are more likely to be diagnosed with gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer at more advanced stages. |
People with low socioeconomic status and younger people are more likely to be diagnosed with gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer at more advanced stages. |
Examples of when to use 'socioeconomic status'
'Collect data on intervention outcomes according to age, sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, so that the effect on health inequalities can be assessed'.
'The study was particularly focused on understanding how the process differs depending on socioeconomic status, gender and country of birth'.
Other terms
Try not to use clinician. Healthcare professional is preferable if you want to specify a qualified professional, or healthcare worker for more general use.
| Do use | Do not use |
|---|---|
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End of life care |
Terminal care |
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People who are underserved (but be more specific if you can) |
People who are neglected Hard-to-reach people Disadvantaged people |
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People experiencing homelessness (but be more specific if you can) |
The homeless People who sleep rough People without homes |
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People who take their own life People who die by suicide |
People who commit suicide People who kill themselves |
Use frailer people for people whose age or physical characteristics may prevent their having certain treatments ('Older, frailer people for whom chemotherapy is not suitable').
Asylum seeker, refugee and migrant worker are not interchangeable.
Refer to Think Local Act Personal's Care and Support Jargon Buster for other helpful social care definitions.