NHS definition of gynaecology: ‘related to parts that make babies’

NHS attempts to avoid using jargon in a health report have come under fire after councillors and patients branded it “childish” and “unprofessional”.

A document published by three clinical commissioning groups based in Leicestershire was described as “insulting” at a meeting to discuss health policy on Tuesday.

The report, entitled Planned Care Policies, gave a definition of gynaecology as “related to the female parts of the body used to make babies”.

Lucy Chaplin, a Leicester city councillor, said it was “shameful” such “childish wording” had gone into a formal policy document. Amanda Hack, a county councillor, said she was “disappointed” with the language used, telling the BBC: “My son is 11 and has just done sexual health awareness at primary school and he didn’t talk in that language. He was able to convey that women’s bodies and reproduction wasn’t simply where babies come out. To say I was a little bit shocked [by the NHS report] was an understatement.”

Maggie Wright, a fellow county councillor, added: “It was so unprofessional in a document of that calibre. It was just demeaning really.”

Katy Wheatley, from the Leicester Mercury Patients’ Panel, said: “This is the NHS. This is their professional opinion as to what gynaecology is and it is really not good enough. I think it is reductive, patronising and insulting.”

The report was commissioned by the West Leicestershire, Leicester City and East Leicestershire and Rutland clinical commissioning groups.

Ket Chudasama, from the West Leicestershire group, told the BBC: “We put a great deal of effort into removing the medical jargon from the document and using very simple language that everyone would be able to understand.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get it quite right on this occasion, and we apologise if we have caused any offence.” He said the phrasing would be changed.