Elderly patients in the UK demeaned by hospital staff

Oct 5 2006

Hospital staff in the UK have been accused of demeaning patients by their use of language and choice of words.

Harry Cayton, the national director for patients and the public at the Department of Health, and the country's leading patient advocate, says a patient-centred health service was impossible unless demeaning turns of phrase were ironed out.

Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM), Mr Cayton says language is at the centre of the relationship between patients and medical professionals and how patients are spoken to and about, is crucial.

Mr Cayton says negative language was more often associated with older patients, who are often the least able to speak up for themselves and are the most vulnerable and this he says is indicative of the "embedded ageism" present in British society.

He says the use of the term 'frequent flyer' and 'bed-blockers' in hospital management and the media to describe elderly patients regularly entering hospital, is demeaning and trivialises a patient's condition and also implies that they are enjoying being in hospital 'as though it were a trip or holiday'.

Mr Cayton insists his criticism is not a case of 'political-correctness gone mad', but rather an attempt to ensure patients are not 'dehumanised'.

Mr Cayton is calling upon the health service to challenge those not using appropriate language in respect of patients in the same way that racist or sexist language is not tolerated, as language reflects and shapes our thinking and therefore our behaviour. Mr Cayton concludes that the NHS has a long way to go before patients and customers are treated with the respect they deserve. Others suggest the culture of the NHS is such that language and behaviour are learnt from senior clinicians and it is their responsibility to ensure that clinical teams use appropriate language.