Hello, my name is...’ NHS ‘patient-friendly’ badges - with pronouns

[Pronoun]

My manager is getting us new name badges for NHS work. The ‘hello, my name is’ campaign is meant to be for the benefit of patients; some are marketed as being specifically dementia-friendly.

I was surprised to see that there is the option to include pronouns on the badges. As these are meant to be for patient benefit, I feel a bit uncomfortable with these. My feeling is that people just want to know your name, to have a proper, friendly introduction, and to be treated as a person, so they don’t feel like an anonymous ‘case,’ or struggle to know who has been looking after them. I feel these pronoun badges run the risk of making interactions about the HCP rather than centring the patient. Am I wrong to feel this way?

We have these badges , not a single one Ive seen has pronouns announced on it and probably 4 people have responded to the email suggesting we should,add to our signatures.
Compelled speech -no thanks

In the immortal words of Nancy Reagan and the kids from Grange Hill ‘just say no’

Hi Op

We have had these badges for a couple of years now.
I forget I'm wearing it most of the time cause we have had them so long I just put it on second nature

On the contrary, I think this is an excellent idea. Patients don't have to acknowledge them, and I don't suppose many will even notice their names. However, if they do notice it then it will help to normalise not assuming pronouns and may also help NB NHS workers feel valid, as opposed to simply ticking a 'prefer not to say' box that completely ignores their identity.

How does someone’s ‘identity’ help the patient? It’s either about the patient or it isn’t.

Not assuming pronouns isn't something that needs to be normalized, it's the specific practice of people with a specific set of beliefs. They are free to have those beliefs, but they have no mandate to 'normalize' their practices to everyone else.

And, as been stated a number of times on this thread, the purpose of the badges is patient benefit, not validation of NHS worker's identity beliefs.

Then again - maybe patients ought to know who to request doesn’t attend do them...

margaretjohnson - "Patients don't have to acknowledge them,"

Up until the point that they are "re-educated" or reported and denied services for being "transphobic".

"I don't suppose many will even notice their names"

FFS! The whole point of these name badges is to help patients recognise and remember individual members of staff. By your reckoning, they might as well ditch the names in favour of "Job Title + My Pronouns". Are you serious? Do you not understand why this scheme exists?

With one swift move you have appropriated the purpose and value of this whole scheme, from something invented to help patients remember and recognise staff and their names to something intended "validate" trans staff by associating their appearance with their "preferred" my-fantasy pronouns.

Nobody refers to another person using "him" or "her" or "she" or "his" or "they" or "them" when talking directly to them. This is all about co-opting patients in your insane culture war. Any NHS body going along with this should be thoroughly ashamed of abusing patients in this way.

"However, if they do notice it then it will help to normalise not assuming pronouns"

You "don't suppose many will even notice their names" (the whole purpose of the badges) but they are going to the notice a list of pronouns cluttering up the badge? The pronouns are a distraction and they do not benefit the patient.

"Normalising not assuming pronouns" is a political agenda - there is no place for this in the NHS. The NHS is supposed to be non-political.

You are willing to fuck with people's minds while they are unwell - just piss off! Some patients will already have psychological problems - how the hell is it going to help a confused, anxious or psychotic patient to gaslight them like this? To deliberately distort reality? This is callous, cruel and anti-therapeutic. Health care staff are not supposed to be members of the "Hindering Professions"

"and may also help NB NHS workers feel valid"

Any NB NHS worker who prioritises their need to "feel valid" over their duty of care to patients is in the wrong fucking job!

"and may also help NB NHS workers feel valid"

You are willing to fuck with people's minds while they are unwell

Says it all.

there is the option to include pronouns on the badges.

An option. That's all. It's not an instruction or a demand. It's an option. no need to tippex anything out, because you don't have to take up the option.

@molesmokes 👏👏👏

Absolutely bloody well said. I do hope that if I'm ever in hospital facing a pronouns badge that I'll be able to articulate my disapproval as articulately as that. In fact I might print your post off and keep it handy!

Excellent post, MoleSmokes - the crux of this matter.

Thank you.

Thanks, everyone.
Didn’t mean to post and disappear- has been a long week at work.
I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling uncomfortable about this- we are here for the patients. The badges are for patient benefit. I don’t think that the addition of pronouns will benefit patients.

For clarity - We haven’t been asked to add our pronouns but it is an option.

Well that’s still helpful to indicate who will be tricky to work with I guess.

@lordfrontpaw Yep, so true. I've not come across a pronoun person IRL yet but when the day comes, I reckon I'll be doing an involuntary eye-roll. I literally cannot take them seriously - I'm not obliged to. 🤷‍♀️

I reckon I'll be doing an involuntary eye-roll. I literally cannot take them seriously

Imagine someone who wasn't aware of the ridiculousness of all this asking why a person had they/them as their pronouns and being told it's because I don't identify as a man or a woman.

No one is ever, ever going to take this seriously.

My lovely mum would have looked bewildered and said "But there's only one of you" if she'd been told someone wanted to be "they/them".

My pedantic father would have asked whether they identified as editorial or merely regal. (And possibly muttered about thinking you are Napoleon.)

As the country frantically struggles to capture accurate data about Covid 19 and the NHS are deluged with awful scenes, it defies belief that they are going to any longer give headspace, let alone resources to the narcissists insisting on pronouns, multiple genders or blurring factual sex based data.

My grandma would have had a field day! She was rather - blunt shall we say, and when the Alzheimer’s kicked in...

may also help NB NHS workers feel valid

Isn't working for the NHS enough reason for someone to feel valid, without gaslighting vulnerable people with meaningless woke nonsense?

If that’s the difference between feeling valid (I’d love an explanation of that) or not then I’d suggest they are too self obsessed to be looking after anyone (or even a bowl of sea monkeys).

No one is ever, ever going to take this seriously.

Nor should they.

So inappropriate

With one swift move you have appropriated the purpose and value of this whole scheme, from something invented to help patients remember and recognise staff and their names to something intended "validate" trans staff by associating their appearance with their "preferred" my-fantasy pronouns.

Nobody refers to another person using "him" or "her" or "she" or "his" or "they" or "them" when talking directly to them. This is all about co-opting patients in your insane culture war. Any NHS body going along with this should be thoroughly ashamed of abusing patients in this way.

This. With bells on.

as opposed to simply ticking a 'prefer not to say' box that completely ignores their identity.

I don't know where I could go to find a violin small enough, frankly. Not even Tiny Musical Instruments R Us are likely to have one.