Sajid Javid said he disagreed with the NHS removing the word “women” from some of its online guidelines after activists criticized the health service for choosing text on an ovarian cancer website.
The health minister said “common sense and the right language” should be used to “give people the best possible care for patients”.
However, he acknowledged that “there is some sensitivity around this language” and said he would talk to trusts about whether the wording should be changed back.
He told Sky News: “I want to hear why someone may have taken a different approach – I don’t just want to guess – but I think I have made my views clear on this.
An NHS Digital spokesman said: “It is not right to say that there is no mention of women on ovarian cancer pages. We have updated the pages as part of our routine review of web pages to maintain them in line with the best clinical evidence and to make them as useful as possible for anyone who needs them. “
The word “women” appears on the third page of a section of the NHS.uk website that discusses the causes of ovarian cancer, which reads: “Anyone with ovaries can get ovarian cancer. This includes women, trans men, non-binary people and intersex people with ovaries. “
The review on the first page reads: “Ovarian cancer affects the two small organs (ovaries) that store the eggs needed to give birth to babies. Anyone with ovaries can get ovarian cancer, but it mainly affects those over 50.
Asked about reports that the NHS had removed the word “women” from the advice pages on its website, Javid said he had not seen them, but had “heard of such cases”, adding: “I don’t think it’s right.”
He said: “You will not be surprised to learn that as a health secretary, I think your gender matters, your biological gender is extremely important to make sure you get the right treatment, the best treatment.
NHS Digital said it uses a language that is “inclusive, respectful and appropriate for the people who read it”, and there were thousands of pages on the site that were reviewed over time, meaning some have been updated recently, and others do not. Updates are reviewed and monitored for impact.
NHS England has stated that there is no national policy for trans-inclusive language, but is reviewing the wider use of inclusive language to find out how to make it work, while maintaining the language that already works for women.
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