Woke health chiefs at Sussex Health & Care have banned the word 'normal', citing concerns that it may make patients feel alienated. The trust has also instructed doctors and nurses to replace terms such as 'assessment', 'able-bodied', and 'discharged' with alternatives like 'warm handover' to mitigate anxiety in patients.

These changes follow a two-year investigation and are detailed in a handbook that emphasizes the power of language to validate experiences or cause harm. The trust's leadership argued that these commonly used medical terms could be perceived as 'uncomfortable, offensive or triggering.' The handbook notes that 'assessment' might make patients feel judged, while 'discharge' can sound too final.

For patients with mental health issues, the guidelines suggest avoiding terms like 'hard to reach' or 'difficult to engage' for those who miss appointments. Experts involved in the investigation stressed that staff should be mindful of their colleagues' language and challenge inappropriate terms.

The new guidelines have faced significant criticism. Lord Young, leader of the Free Speech Union, expressed concern that such changes prioritize non-English speakers and contribute to a "constantly changing modern dialect" that risks penalizing healthcare staff for not adhering to a "woke-ish" vocabulary. He suggested that older employees may be particularly vulnerable to investigations for perceived cultural insensitivity.

This directive from Sussex Health & Care is not an isolated incident within the NHS. Earlier this year, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advised staff to abandon traditional sayings like 'the early bird catches the worm' due to potential cultural translation issues. In a separate instance, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London began allowing the use of pronouns 'xey/xem' and encouraged staff to apologize for using incorrect pronouns for colleagues, aiming to foster an inclusive workplace.

In 2024, the NHS faced backlash for a menopause policy that stated, 'Not everyone who experiences menopause is a woman.' Women's rights groups criticized the document for potentially causing confusion and promoting an 'activist agenda.' Campaigners also objected to the use of gender-neutral language such as 'people affected by the menopause' instead of 'women.' These developments occurred despite repeated directives from health secretaries urging the NHS to use sex-based language in its publications, particularly concerning women's health issues.

NHS England had initially published the 'National Menopause People Policy Framework' but later removed it, stating it was issued in error.