NHS organisations in Nottinghamshire normalise the sharing of inclusive pronouns

NHS organisations in Nottinghamshire normalise the sharing of inclusive pronouns

We are delighted to announce that from Thursday 31 March 2022, which is International Trans Day of Visibility, all new staff at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Nottingham University Hospitals will be given the option of adding their pronouns to their work ID badges.

The no extra cost initiative will help ensure that staff are addressed by their correct pronouns, as part of ongoing efforts from NHS organisations to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.

In October 2021, as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, the three trusts and the Institute of Mental Health worked together to raise awareness of the important issue around the use of pronouns.

Ali Pearson, Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Lead at Sherwood Forest Hospitals said: “For trans people, using and sharing pronouns can be unnerving. However, the use of pronouns for everybody can help and support trans people feel included and welcomed. The use of pronouns also makes it clear that pronouns are a choice and isn’t something that is chosen for us. We encourage all Sherwood Forest Hospital colleagues to include their pronouns wherever they can, including on their email signatures, social media or as a new colleague, your ID badge.”

Sharing our pronouns and encouraging others to get used to doing it shows that we all welcome, encourage, support and accept diversity. Using an individual’s correct pronoun is important as it validates their identity. Referring to someone as ‘he’ when they identify as ‘she’ is known as mis-gendering and can lead to people feeling marginalised or invalidated and may affect their mental health and wellbeing.

Some trans people, particularly non-binary people, need to constantly ‘come out’ to others to correct the pronouns others use when talking about them. Many organisations – like Nottinghamshire Healthcare, Sherwood Forest Hospitals, Nottingham University Hospitals and the Institute of Mental Health – are encouraging their staff to act as allies and normalise the act of sharing their pronouns in their email signature and social media profile(s).