NHS terminology is a craft in itself

Patients are often confused by the language we use in healthcare – and it's no wonder, says Jane Bates

A young friend, pregnant with her first child, was asked by the midwife if she would attend parentcraft classes. I gave you a leaflet, the midwife explained.

‘Oh that!’ my friend said. ‘I put it straight in the bin. Not my kind of thing.’

The midwife, no doubt shocked at this dismissive attitude and making a mental note to flag it up with social services, asked why.

Missing the point

My friend said that she had plenty of people knitting for the baby and, anyway, she wasn’t very good at creative handiwork. When the midwife stopped laughing she explained that it was the ‘craft’ of becoming a parent, not a sewing bee for expectant mothers.

Well, it did