sarawilcox
commented
4 years ago February Content Style Council agreed the following: death
Be direct wherever possible.
Say “death” instead of:
- "fatality"
- "passing"
We do not use “loss” and “bereavement” as euphemisms for death. We do use them when we are talking about feelings of loss or grieving in our mental health content.
And say “died” instead of:
- “passed away”
- "deceased"
We do not recommend this language in cases of miscarriage or abortion, however. We are working on guidance on this.
[Waiting for clinical approval now.]
What
We propose to add an A to Z of NHS health writing entry on death, based upon the guidance created by DWP content designers.
This covers both 'death' and 'died' as preferred language over alternatives such as 'bereavement' and 'loss'.
Why
This will help provide clarity, consistency and a better culture of care around the topic of death in NHS content.