999 operators told to ask callers their preferred pronoun

999 phone operators have been told to ask callers their pro-nouns (Image: Getty) Staff have been told not to address people as Sir and Madam over fears of misgendering someone due to the tone of their voice. Using the wrong gender can ’cause stress’ in a life-or-death situation, according to the South East Coast Ambulance Service. A caller is fine to self-identify in many cases as it ‘has no bearing’ on care, the North East Ambulance Service tells call handlers in staff guidance. It is ‘not our place to ask questions’, the trust says. ‘To expect anyone to be thinking of preferred pronouns in a 999 health emergency is ludicrous’ (Image: Getty) Operators at South East Coast Ambulance Service were told they often ‘form a strong mental perception’ of the gender of the caller from their first few words which causes a ‘gender-specific response’. This could be ‘inappropriate’ in the case of a trans woman who is ‘unable to raise the pitch of their voice’. South Central Ambulance Service had a similar message for staff: ‘Irrespective of the tone of a person’s voice, we should not assume gender, or reference a patient by assumed gender (Sir or Madam).’ Lottie Moore, head of biology matters at the Policy Exchange think-tank, said: ‘To expect anyone to be thinking of preferred pronouns in a 999 health emergency is ludicrous.’ The South East Coast Ambulance service claims using wrong pronouns could ’cause patients stress’ (Image: Getty) The South East Coast Ambulance Service said asking pronouns would not delay its response, adding it is ‘about ensuring we respect people’s personal pronouns’. It said using the wrong pronouns can ’cause stress’ and ‘may make an already difficult situation worse’. Sometimes birth gender is needed by healthcare workers when assessing patients, in which case staff should call a clinician, North East call handlers are told in a guidance document seen by the Mail on Sunday. The North East Ambulance Service said: ‘It is not our place to ask questions about someone’s gender identity, but sometimes it will be appropriate and necessary for our clinical assessment, and we provide appropriate training to support triage of transgender and non-binary patients. ‘Our triage is no different when it is an emergency situation or where gender has no bearing on a patient’s condition.’ South Central Ambulance Service said it works with ‘dignity, respect, empathy and without judgement’ for patients. The advice comes after midwives were given new language to adopt when talking to women giving birth. NHS England now refers to those expecting as ‘women and birthing people’, while University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust caused controversy in 2021 with its introduction of the term ‘chestfeeding’ to replace breastfeeding for trans and non-binary patients.