Private London hospital is mocked for calling women ‘patients of childbearing potential’ in medical documents branded ‘nonsensical’ by campaigners
- The term was used in documents at Cromwell Hospital’s radiology department
A private hospital has been accused of ‘alienating’ women after using the term ‘patients of childbearing potential’ to label them.
Cromwell Hospital in London has been criticised after the de-gendered form from its radiology department, which is given to staff and patients, was shared online.
On the document it asks ‘patients of childbearing potential’ to say if they could be patient and note the ‘start of your last menstrual period’, the Telegraph reports.
It has sparked backlash from women’s rights campaigners, who have accused the south Kensington hospital – which is run by Bupa – of increasing the likelihood of mistakes being made by asking ‘nonsensical questions’.
But hospital insists it is ‘proud’ to be inclusive and it is ‘important our patients feel safe’, adding all materials ‘comply with industry standards’.
Cromwell Hospital (pictured) has come under fire after referring to women as ‘patients of childbearing potential’
In the document it asks ‘patients of childbearing potential’ for the date their last menstrual period started
The document was shared online by James Esses, a former Childline counsellor who was booted from the charity after questioning its links to the trans lobby.
Writing on Twitter today, he said: ‘Have just been sent this by a patient at London’s Cromwell Hospital.
‘According to staff there, the term ‘women’ has been replaced by “Patients of Childbearing Potential”, on the basis of “inclusivity”.
‘Alienating over half the population in the name of “inclusivity”…’
The query on the document has been labelled ‘nonsensical’ by Maya Forstater, the executive director of campaign group Sex Matters.
She told the Telegraph: ‘Healthcare records should show everyone’s sex clearly and accurately. “Patients with childbearing potential” are women. There is no point in being coy about sex.
‘We are seeing this kind of thing all over as NHS organisations decide not to record patients’ sex because they are afraid of falling foul of the criminal penalties in the Gender Recognition Act.
‘Going around the houses with nonsensical questions about “childbearing potential” is not necessary and it makes it more likely that mistakes will be made.’
READ MORE HERE: More than a third of Brits do not know transgender women are biologically male, poll finds
Philip Luce, chief executive at Cromwell Hospital, told the publication: ‘We are proud to be an inclusive hospital, welcoming patients across all diversity groups. It is important that our patients feel safe and their medical care is tailored to their needs.
‘It’s essential that we know if someone is pregnant ahead of an MRI scan. All our materials and practices comply with industry standards so that our patients receive the most safe standards of care.’
It comes after it was revealed NHS managers at one trust had been told not to sympathise with female colleagues worried about sharing toilets with biological males.
Thousands of workers at a hospital trust in the North East were given a woke handbook which forbids team leaders using phrases such as ‘I understand your concerns’ to anyone who complains about the issue.
The 38-page document, which applies to more than 8,300 doctors, nurses and support staff, also says that it is discriminatory not to use a trans or non-binary person’s preferred pronoun.
Under the ‘Transitioning at Work and Gender Diversity Policy’, staff are told it is transphobic to ‘deliberately use the name a Trans colleague had prior to transition’. They are also told it is offensive to ask a trans or non-binary person questions such as ‘which bathrooms do you use?’
It led to South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust being accused of unlawfully discriminating against employees with gender-critical views, with critics calling it ‘a recipe for bullying women’.
Source: Read Full Article
