NHS claims ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ is culturally insensitive

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Doctors and nurses in Lancashire told some idioms risk offending ‘international colleagues or patients’



Doctors and nurses have been ordered not to say “it’s raining cats and dogs” and “the early bird catches the worm” to avoid offending foreign patients.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust instructed staff against using the phrases in its diversity and inclusion training, claiming that the terms were not culturally sensitive.

It warned that the terms “may not translate well across other cultures” and may need to be explained to international colleagues or patients.

“Chairman” is also banned in favour of “chairperson” and “mankind” should be replaced with “humankind”, according to the guidance, which was created to “foster an inclusive environment”.

Critics said the guidance read like an April Fool’s joke and cautioned that the policing of language in the NHS was on the rise.

The 17-page document, first issued in November 2024 and reviewed every three years, says it is “crucial” for doctors and nurses to use “considerate, inclusive” language, claiming it will “lead to a healthier society”.

“By fostering an inclusive environment, the NHS can better meet the diverse needs of the populations it serves, ultimately leading to a healthier society overall,” the guidance reads.

The diversity training document was offered to staff at the trust, which runs Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

It adds: “English phrases or sayings like ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ may need to be explained to international colleagues or patients.”

The guide recommends avoiding other worlds such as “guys”, suggesting “gender neutral terms” such as “colleagues”, “team” or “members” as alternatives.

It also instructs employees to use “they/them” instead of male and female pronouns if the gender of a patient is unclear.

Lord Young, founder of the Free Speech Union and Tory peer, said the NHS guidance could lead to witch hunts against staff members for using everyday terms.

He told The Telegraph: “This sounds like an April Fool, but the reality is that these busybodies are constantly churning out new language guides, banning an ever-increasing number of words and idioms.

He said guidance such as this will gradually result in more employees being investigated for being culturally insensitive.

He added: “The result is that more and more NHS employees, particularly older employees, are finding themselves under investigation for being ‘culturally insensitive’, which is code for ‘racism’. If you’re not fluent in ‘woke-ish’ – which is a constantly changing modern dialect – you will eventually be cancelled.

“Indeed, that may be the point of this language policing – to force older employees to take early retirement and make way for more pink-haired zealots.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/18/phrases-raining-cats-dogs-culturally-insensitive-nhs/