2nd March 2026

Language training sparks positive change across Lincolnshire

You might remember the Language and Health Literacy Development Day that took place in November 2025 - and the huge amount of co-production that went into shaping it so it truly worked for our workforce.

Well, we’ve got an update… and it’s a good one.

At a follow-up session this week, we heard just how much impact November’s training is already having across Lincolnshire’s health and care services.

During a short reflective session, staff were invited to share what they’d tried since the training. And instead of focusing on barriers or challenges, every single person brought real examples of changes they had already made.

Those changes are now spreading outward – creating what organisers described as “wonderful ripples” across the Lincolnshire health and care system.

Small changes making a big difference

Here are just a few of the changes colleagues have already made:

A social care quality assurance team has rewritten their survey questions and letters so they’re clearer, more accessible, and sound like they were written by a person, not a system.
That sparked action in an Information Governance team, who are now reviewing the language in their own letters.
A CHC nurse assessor has been encouraging care homes to rethink phrases like “activities of daily living” and “challenging behaviour,” helping to shift not just the words being used, but the attitudes behind them.
An oncology team at the local hospital trust has stopped sending out overwhelming information packs. Instead, they now send one simple letter, followed by a friendly, person-centred phone call.
Another hospital trust team is updating its Patient Information Policy to include Gloriously Ordinary Language, giving staff both support and permission to communicate in a clearer, more human way.
And across the system, people are choosing plain, warm, human language in their emails, conversations, and guidance.

These may sound like small changes, but together, they’re making communication kinder, clearer, and more accessible for the people who rely on our services.

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It really works!

During the session, we also shared an update from Elliot Kane, GP Assistant at Brant Road Surgery. Elliot joined the original development day to talk about the work he was leading on health literacy and language at the practice.

He led a project to lower the reading age and simplify the language in messages sent through the practice’s systems, including invitations to annual reviews and NHS health checks. And the impact has been clear and measurable.

Since the changes were introduced, uptake and attendance for NHS health checks, and diabetic, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma reviews have all increased. The most striking result came from the asthma review letters. After reducing the reading age by 45%, attendance rose by 50%.

That’s powerful evidence that clearer, more human communication makes a real difference.

A huge thank you to Elliot for being part of the original development day and for sharing this encouraging update. Stories like this will continue to shape future development days, inspiring more colleagues to make changes that improve the health and wellbeing of people across Lincolnshire.

Growing interest and next steps

Because of this enthusiasm, three more development sessions are now scheduled - and two are already oversubscribed.

Members of the co-production group are keen to attend and share their experiences at each session too. There’s a real appetite for change.

We’re also hoping to run a Joint Health and Care Leadership event in the summer, focused on how leaders can champion clearer, more human language. Funding is still being confirmed, but if all goes well, planning conversations will begin in April.

There’s more. We’re in discussion with Tricia and Bryony, who lead the Gloriously Ordinary Language work nationally, about recording a podcast episode as part of Lincolnshire’s wider personalisation work. We may also be able to showcase some of this impactful work on their website, helping to put Lincolnshire firmly on the map.

So watch this space for updates!

In the meantime, please keep telling us about the changes you’re making and the language you’re using. We want to keep mapping those ripples.