2nd October 2025
Person-centred health and care language co-production
The journey so far - and how to get involved (scroll down for news about our language training)
Words matter. The way we use language in health, wellbeing, and social care can either help or hinder the development of relationships between services and the people who use them. The language we use can build trust and connection or leave people feeling unheard and unseen.
Over the past year, the It’s All About People Personalisation Programme team has been on a journey to look closely at the language we use and how it shapes relationships between services and the people they support. Here’s how the work has unfolded so far, and where it’s heading next.
July 2024: Starting the Conversation
Our journey began at the It’s All About People Conference in July 2024. Alison, our team's Workforce Development Lead, hosted a lively workshop with Chris Erskine, Principal Social Worker at Lincolnshire County Council.
The workshop, playfully titled “Would I lie to you?”, explored how language can either strengthen relationships or create issues and barriers. Participants bravely shared real experiences of how words used by professionals had impacted them, sometimes leaving them feeling respected and included, and other times diminished and dismissed.
This session set the stage for deeper conversations about the power of language.
April 2025: Enter ‘Gloriously Ordinary Language’
In April 2025, following lots of conversations about language with colleagues from across the health and care system, the It’s All About People Personalisation team co-commissioned Gloriously Ordinary Language, delivered by Trish Nicol and Bryony Shannon, to support Adult Social Care and wider partners to think more about language.
This exciting eight-month programme is designed for local councils and other social care organisations who want to rehumanise their language, reconnect practice with personal and organisational principles, and reimagine care and support.
The programme focuses on three key areas:
- Purpose: Why we use certain words
- People: Who we are speaking or writing for
- Practice: How we put this into action in everyday interactions
Participating organisations were encouraged to take up projects in each of these areas. Working with the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Health Inequalities team, we agreed that our “practice” focus should be on creating a language learning and development programme. The aim: to support our integrated Lincolnshire workforce in thinking carefully about the words we use, both spoken and written.
August 2025: Co-producing with people with lived experience
Fast forward to August 2025. We held our first co-production meeting, bringing together people with lived experience of working in or using Lincolnshire’s health and care system. Some participants had experience of both.
We asked three simple but powerful questions:
- What are your experiences of language in the health and care system?
- How have those experiences made you feel?
- Based on your experiences, what do you think should be included in the language training and development programme?
The answers were eye-opening.
Some recalled phrases - “Broken ankle in Bed 2”, “Micro aggression”, and “Power dynamic” - or admitted “I had to Google the language as it was very technical.”
And when asked how these experiences made them feel, they responded with:
“Patronised”, “Dehumanised”, “Disrespected”, “Vulnerable”, “Stupid”, “Incapable”, “Frightened”, “Labelled”, “Out of control”, “Judged”, and “Shut down”.
It became clear that language is never “just words.” Tone, body language, and choice of words all profoundly affect how people feel in moments of vulnerability.
Our co-production group has since met several times, with growing energy and passion. Each meeting brings more people willing to give their time and ideas, ensuring the training is rooted in real experiences.
November 2025: Language training goes live!
And now, the next milestone in our journey approaches. We’re delighted to announce the first fully co-produced training session on language in health and care.
- When: Monday 24 November 2025, 9:30am - 4.30pm
- Where: Boardroom, Bridge House, Sleaford, NG34 8GG
The session will be:
- Interactive - expect to join in discussions and activities
- Challenging - it will stretch your thinking about how you communicate
- Grounded in stories - you’ll hear directly from people about when language has got it wrong - and when it’s been done right
We’ll also look at health literacy in Lincolnshire and explore the impact of our everyday written and spoken words. You’ll be encouraged to bring along a letter or leaflet from your service, so we can reflect together on how accessible and clear it really is.
This isn’t about policing language. Instead, we’ll ask: “Would you use these words around the dinner table with family and friends?”
How to take part in the language training
If this work to develop the language we use sparks your interest, we’d love for you to be part of the first training session!
To book your place or find out more, email licb.healthinequalities@nhs.net or alisonx.smith@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Light refreshments will be provided during the training - you'll just need to bring your own lunch.
And looking ahead
Our journey to rehumanise language in health and care is just beginning - and it can only move forward with you.
Every conversation, every reflection, every word we choose makes a difference to how people experience care and connection.
The co-produced training in November is another landmark in the building of a shared culture where language lifts people up rather than shuts them down.
So whether you work in a service, use one, or simply care about the words that shape our everyday interactions, get involved.
Join a session, share your story, challenge how things are communicated, and help us make “gloriously ordinary language" the new normal across Lincolnshire.
