No more "Mum" and "Dad" in Scotland?

[vern_humphrey]

Speaking in my capacity as a nurse who works for the NHS in Scotland will it spoils anyones day if I point out that neither myself not any of my professional colleagues in the Lothian Universities Hospital Division have received any such directive, mandate or instruction?

I notice that the Department of Health website lists the Stonewall document under the heading “Good practice examples and resources” at dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/EqualityAndHumanRights/EqualityAndHumanRightsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4117240&chk=3Kyi0T
but I only know that because of this site no actual nurses have ever mentioned it to me.

It is a part of our professional obligation to treat all sick people equally well regardless of their personal background or history. al Qaeda members, nuns, transsexuals and US marines all qualify to be treated well simply because of their inherent value as human persons.

Well, I hope you would refer to our Marine as “Corporal” (or whatever his rank might be) and offer to help him write a letter to his Mum and Dad.

 

[Catholic_Action]

Well, I hope you would refer to our Marine as “Corporal” (or whatever his rank might be) and offer to help him write a letter to his Mum and Dad.

I would help her to write to her parents certainly. I don’t refer to patients by their job titles normally, I make an exception for priests and nuns but hey I am a Catholic after all.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I would help her to write to her parents certainly. I don’t refer to patients by their job titles normally, I make an exception for priests and nuns but hey I am a Catholic after all.

If you patient was a physician, would you call him or her “Doctor?” Would you refer to the Queen as “Bessy?”

 

[Kaninchen]

If you patient was a physician, would you call him or her “Doctor?” Would you refer to the Queen as “Bessy?”

Given her age, Mrs Windsor would probably be more polite.

 

[Catholic_Action]

If you patient was a physician, would you call him or her “Doctor?” Would you refer to the Queen as “Bessy?”

Lizzie doesn’t use the NHS. Sometimes I call doctors by their title but only if they ask me to. I guess if a Corporal preferred me to call her by her title rather than her name I would comply with her request but normally we use first names. I don’t expect or want people to call me nurse since that isn’t my name.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Lizzie doesn’t use the NHS. Sometimes I call doctors by their title but only if they ask me to. I guess if a Corporal preferred me to call her by her title rather than her name I would comply with her request but normally we use first names. I don’t expect or want people to call me nurse since that isn’t my name.

My wife is also a nurse – and the practice here is to treat patients with respect, and not assume a first-name basis unless they invite you to call them by their first names.

After all, in any normal professional relation – dealing with a banker, a lawyer, or a shopkeeper, you would use “Mister” or “Mrs.” To immediately call someone by their first name, uninvited, implies they are of lower status than yourself.

 

[Catholic_Action]

My wife is also a nurse – and the practice here is to treat patients with respect, and not assume a first-name basis unless they invite you to call them by their first names.

After all, in any normal professional relation – dealing with a banker, a lawyer, or a shopkeeper, you would use “Mister” or “Mrs.” To immediately call someone by their first name, uninvited, implies they are of lower status than yourself.

Too immediately assume that I don’t ask how people prefer to be addressed before using their first name is to assume that you are politer than I am. And actually in this country I usually do address bankers’ lawyers etc by their first name in response to their invitation. When I get emails from the lead Consultant Physician for my clinical area she signs them as “Trish”, short for Patricia, rather than using any of her numerous titles. Perhaps Scotland is more informal and egalitarian than your part of the world.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Too immediately assume that I don’t ask how people prefer to be addressed before using their first name is to assume that you are politer than I am.

My apologies for the assumption. But when you wrote:

I don’t refer to patients by their job titles normally, I make an exception for priests and nuns but hey I am a Catholic after all.

That struck me as an unprofessional attitude to take, and a demeaning one for patients.

And actually in this country I usually do address bankers’ lawyers etc by their first name in response to their invitation.

“In response to their invitation.” But prior to being invited, would you not use their titles?

When I get emails from the lead Consultant Physician for my clinical area she signs them as “Trish”, short for Patricia, rather than using any of her numerous titles.
And by writing her name that way, she has invited you to call her by that name.
Catholic Action;1979494:

Perhaps Scotland is more informal and egalitarian than your part of the world.

Or perhaps more respectful of patients.