will writing service nhs

“FREE Will Writing Service to all NHS staff”

For anyone who was in any doubt, this mornings headline in ‘The Irish News’, reinforced the risks that our NHS staff are taking on our behalf in the fight against Covid-19 and their heroism in attempting to save lives.

Our firm has been serving the community in Mid- Ulster for over 90 years and now is the time for us to support our NHS staff in any way that we can.

We firmly believe that offering our will writing service free of charge to all NHS staff is the right thing to do at this most difficult time for them and their families.

Our team of experienced and dedicated Solicitors continue to operate remotely during the ongoing pandemic, however due to the urgency of the need for many NHS staff to put their affairs in order, we ask that they contact us at [email protected] ( or use this page ) and we will make arrangements for our solicitors to contact them and thereafter attend our office to ensure that the will is executed and witnessed in accordance with the law.”

Stephen Atherton and Marysia Kelly Directors John J.McNally and Co Magherafelt

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Planning for your future with RCNLaw

Making time to write a will 

We spend our lives working to support ourselves and our loved ones, yet 57% of us do not have a will. Many people are also unaware of the problems of dying without a will (intestate). You do not need to own a property or have significant wealth to protect the financial security of your loved ones. 

Making a will is easier than you think

If you don’t have a will yet, don’t worry - the expert team of legal professionals at RCNLaw  is here to support you. RCNLaw provides a fast, efficient and friendly service at a discounted rate for RCN members. It also offers highly competitive rates for your family and friends.

RCNLaw will help you to ensure your wishes are carried out. Our team can help ensure the financial security of your estate and provide you and your loved ones with peace of mind that your wishes are set out for the future.

Take our ten second will challenge

  Wills are living documents

Have you recently been through a significant life event? For example: 

• Moving to a new house? 
• Getting married? 
• Having or adopting children? 
• Become divorced or widowed?  
• Experiencing a downturn in your finances? 
• Received a large bonus or compensation?
• Or invested in a second home?   

All these situations would result in a change to your chosen beneficiaries. If you have already made your will, it is important to keep it up to date, so it is still relevant and valid. 

• a telephone conversation with one of our legal experts
• detailed legal advice to ensure the will meets your needs
• Will drafting plus written advice and instructions
• free secure storage of your new will 

Will making fees start from just £80.

Contact RCNLaw about wills

Read our FAQs here .

Webinar: RCNLaw Wills 101

Why write a will 

• It ensures that your wishes are clearly set out. 
• It is advisable to have a will written when your assets are worth more than £5,000. 
• It gives you the opportunity to set out your wishes for specific items or charity donations. 
• If you have young children, you choose who you wish to appoint as their responsible guardians.
• It gives you the control to select the people who will manage your affairs after your death. 
• It protects the financial security of your loved ones. 
• It eliminates any unnecessary distress for your loved ones. 
• It provides you with the peace of mind that your wishes are set out for the future.  

Fees  

Fees vary depending on the complexity of the documents and the size of the estate, but start at: 

• Single will from £80 for RCN members (£99 for non-members) plus VAT. 
• Joint will from £100 for RCN members (£125 non-members) plus VAT. 

Get help when a loved one passes away.

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How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example

What’s Covered:

National honor society: four pillars and essay, five tips for writing your nhs essay, nhs essay example, time well spent.

What do former first lady Michelle Obama, actor Chadwick Boseman, singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. have in common?  They were all members of the National Honor Society (NHS).

As you apply for membership in this national organization, remember NHS membership is based on meeting criteria in four areas that the NHS calls its four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character .  

Scholarship 

The first pillar, scholarship , requires that a student earns a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. Many high schools set a higher GPA bar for their school’s chapter. If you meet your school’s academic requirement, congratulations, you’ve passed the first hurdle. 

Now it’s important that you carefully complete the application and write a compelling essay.  Most high schools require students to write a 300-500 word essay that showcases their commitment and accomplishments in the other three pillars.

Service refers to the contributions you make to your school and or community on a volunteer basis, without receiving any compensation. For your most significant service activities, be sure to explain why you choose to support certain organizations and why you chose specific roles. 

Showcase your leadership in your school and or community while working with or for others. Remember, stating that you are the captain of a team, president of a club, or supervisor of a shift does not prove that you are a leader. A leader makes things happen, sets a good example, and inspires others to give their personal best. Clearly state why you were selected to hold a leadership position and how you effectively lead. There are many successful leadership styles. Communicate your unique brand of leadership. 

Character is how you conduct yourself with high standards of honesty, reliability, and respect for others. Many attributes define good character, and they all reflect a personal commitment to ethical and compassionate interactions with others as well as how you treat yourself. Results are only part of the story.  How you achieved them is critically important to communicate.

Think about how many NHS applications your school counselor reviews each year. Not every student who completes an application is selected for the honor. So how do you make your essay stand out?  Here are five strategies:

1. Make it Personal and Individual  

Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life. A compelling essay enables the reader to feel a strong connection to you. Express your unique values, aspirations, and priorities. State the motivation behind your choices and the trade-offs you’ve made. Be honest about challenges and what you have learned through your mistakes. And be sure the tone of the essay sounds like you and nobody else. 

2. Share Your Stories

People love to hear and remember stories, not simply facts and figures. Express themes and points that you want to share by relaying stories that bring these concepts to life. Stories can be poignant, funny, suspenseful, or surprising. Any approach that makes a reader want to continue reading is a great one.

3. Be Humble and Bold

Many students find it hard to express their hard-earned accomplishments without sounding boastful. Proudly stating your achievements without sounding brash is possible and important. Clearly state your motivations, your challenges, your vulnerabilities, and your mistakes to mitigate any concerns.  

4. Follow Tried and True Essay Guidelines

Channel all the advice you’ve received over the years about how to write a great essay. Do you have a clear thesis around which you have organized your thoughts? Compelling topic sentences to hook your reader? Strong supporting sentences to back up your reasoning? Have you avoided clichés? Do you vary your sentence structure and word choice? Does the text flow and keep the reader engaged? Last, but not least, have you checked and double-checked your grammar, punctuation, and spelling?

5. Draft, Edit, Edit, Edit, Polish

Writing is an iterative process so give yourself the time necessary to land on the best approach for explaining why you are deserving of the NHS honor. There are many ways to tackle an essay. Try a few to determine which is the most effective. Then, when you determine the best approach and are satisfied with your latest draft, share it with someone whose opinion you value. 

Looking for someone to read over your essay? Check out Collegevine’s free essay help ! Our peer review system will help you get feedback from other students so that you can improve your NHS essay and college essays.

While there is not a single template for a strong essay, here is an example of an NHS essay written by an 11th-grade student who was accepted into NHS.

Success is not only about improving yourself, but also about improving life for others. While my GPA shows my commitment to academics, how I spend my time and conduct myself outside of school reveal my commitment to making the world a better place, consistent with the values of the National Honor Society. 

For the two years my grandfather lived in a nursing home, each weekend I took my dog EJ to visit him. I witnessed first-hand the healing power of animals as EJ lifted his and the other residents’ spirits. Because of this experience and because monkeys are my favorite animal, when I heard about Helping Hands (HH), the only organization in the world that raises capuchin monkeys to be live-in assistants to people with spinal cord injuries, I reached out to volunteer. 

Both in the summer and during the school year, I assist the trainers. Monkeys begin training when they are teenagers. It typically takes three to five years until they are ready to be placed with a person. My first job is to clean the cages of 60 monkeys. (Not my favorite responsibility.) I also prepare meals and construct and distribute dexterity “toys.” 

While not glamorous, my work is critical to the success of the initiative. The physical support the monkeys provide is unbelievable. They turn pages of books, scratch itches, pour water, and retrieve dropped items… Most importantly, I have seen the life-changing impact a monkey’s companionship has on a partner, including a college-age student confined to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury from hockey. 

In the spring, summer, and fall I also volunteer at Gaining Ground (GG), a non-profit that grows organic produce to donate to food pantries, shelters, and meal programs. When I volunteered at a local food pantry, it struck me that recipients receive mostly canned and packaged food. I think it is important that people in need receive fresh fruits and vegetables, and I enjoy the physical work of weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and packing produce.

Soon after I began volunteering at GG, my rabbi gave a sermon about the working conditions of tomato farmers in Florida. (It reminded me of Grapes of Wrath, and I couldn’t believe inhumane practices continue.) Her sermon motivated me to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by distributing postcards urging Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to only buy tomatoes from farms that agree to fair wages and human rights. Both chains have now agreed, showing that a little effort by many people makes a difference.

Last, I believe a story is the best way to explain my “behind-the-scenes” leadership. At the annual nighttime football game, one of my soccer teammates (not someone I hang with) was drunk. When our principal came over to the bleachers, my teammate’s friends fled. Concerned that my teammate would fall and hurt herself, I brought her outside the stadium, called her parents, and waited with her until they came — without worrying about social retribution. Despite getting grounded, she thanked me for my help.

I would be honored to be recognized by NHS for my service, leadership, and character. Thank you for your consideration.

The time you invest in composing an effective NHS essay will help you when you’re ready to write your college essays! Essays are important components of applications to selective colleges. Getting into NHS is also an honor that may boost your application at some schools. Remember, you can estimate your chance for acceptance using Collegevine’s free chancing calculator . This tool will factor in your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to calculate your odds of admission at hundreds of schools across the country.

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Sheffield Hallam University Branch

UNISON FREE WILLS SERVICE FOR MEMBERS

UNISON offers a free standard wills service for members and their partners (if doing a mirror will). We also offer reduced rates for members’ complex wills.

The simplest way to obtain your will is to use our bespoke on line wills service.

Access UNISON’s free will service

UNISON’s online wills service is very straightforward to use, just complete the online questionnaire. The questionnaire with its online guidance will carefully take you through the process. 

We have also negotiated a low-cost wills service for members and their families.

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Content guide - A to Z of NHS health writing

Words and phrases we use to make our content about health and the NHS easy to understand.

We use "A&E". You do not need to spell out "accident and emergency".

abbreviations

See the guidance on abbreviations and acronyms on the Formatting and punctuation page .

abdomen and abdominal

It's OK to use "abdomen" where people are familiar with this term. For example, we know that pregnant women talk about "abdominal pain".

If users may not be familiar with "abdomen" but are likely to hear their GP or another health professional use this word, we may add "abdomen" after "tummy".

a dull ache in your tummy (abdomen)

We use "take in".

accessibility

Follow our accessibility guidance .

We prefer "sudden", "starts suddenly", "in a short period of time" or, where appropriate, "short-term".

We do use "acute" in the names of conditions like "acute lymphoblastic leukaemia". We also use it if our search analytics, user testing or survey feedback suggest that people will hear their doctor use the word "acute" or will search for it. If we use it, we explain what it means.

It's alright to use "affects" but in some contexts, for example with medicines, it can be better to say that "something changes the way something else works".

Check a dictionary if you're not sure of the difference between "affect" and "effect".

Find out how we talk about age in the Inclusive content section .

Not "aging".

alternative

We generally use "different" or "other".

An exception is "complementary and alternative medicines".

Alzheimer's disease

We capitalise the names of conditions that start with a proper name, like Alzheimer's disease. Note the apostrophe.

ampersand (&)

Avoid using an ampersand, except in " A&E ". Use "and" instead.

anonymised, anonymisation

We prefer not to use these words.

Instead we might explain what anonymisation means and talk about information that has personal details removed. We might give examples, like "When we share your information with another organisation, we take out all personal details, such as your name and address."

Depending on your audience and the context, for example in a cookie banner, you might not need this much detail. A short, simple explanation might do.

One word without a hyphen.

See also " perinatal ".

antibody test

This is a blood test to check if it is likely that someone has:

• had an infection before, such as COVID-19
• made antibodies to a virus after having a vaccine, such as the COVID-19 vaccine

Use lower case "antibody test", not "Antibody Test".

Do not use "virus test", "coronavirus test" or "COVID-19 test" when referring to an antibody test.

We prefer " bottom " (as in "bleeding from your bottom") to "anus" or " rectum ".

You can add "anus" in brackets after "bottom". For example, in "enlarged blood vessels found inside or around the bottom (anus)".

Or you can use "anus" on its own when you need to be more precise, for example when you're talking about anal cancer.

User testing showed that people understand "bottom" better than "anus". They do search for "anus" in Google, however.

If we are talking about a medicine, we prefer "use", "put on" or "rub in".

apostrophes

See the guidance on apostrophes on the Formatting and punctuation page .

We use "baby" or "your baby" (not "unborn baby") in pregnancy content, from the early stages of pregnancy to birth and during the baby's first year. "Baby" is simpler than "embryo" or "foetus".

For example, in our medicines content, we talk about how medicines can "affect you and your baby in pregnancy".

The words we use depend on the context, however. In content about an unwanted pregnancy or abortion, for example, we use "pregnancy" and "ending the pregnancy". Test with users to make sure that the words you use are right for their circumstances.

back passage

We do not use "back passage". Instead we use " bottom ", " anus " or, rarely, " rectum ".

People often are not interested in the kind of bacteria that caused their problem. They want to know what to do about it. Only mention the name of the bacteria (full or short name) if your audience (users) need it.

If you give the full Latin name of a bacterium, capitalise the first word, for example, "Staphylococcus aureus" but put the shortened "staphylococcus" in lower case.

Do not use italics.

Use "ethnic minorities", not "BAME" or "BME".

Find out how we talk about ethnicity, religion and nationality in the Inclusive content section .

Black or black

Use a capital letter when you're writing about ethnicity or when you're asking users for their ethnic group.

Use lower case when you're writing about skin colour.

• "Black, Asian, African, Black British or Caribbean"
• "On white skin the rash can appear red, but on brown and black skin the rash may be harder to see."

We talk about skin colour clearly and use terms that are easy to understand, including "brown and black skin". We do not refer to brown or black skin as "dark" or "darker".

See the guidance on skin symptoms in the Inclusive content section .

See the guidance on how we use bold on the Formatting and punctuation page .

A booster is a dose of a vaccine that increases or renews the effect of a vaccine you had earlier.

Explain in more detail the 1st time you mention it, for example "a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine". Then you can refer to it as a "booster" or "booster dose".

bottle feeding

We prefer the word "bottom" (in phrases like "bleeding from your bottom") to " anus " or " rectum ".

User testing showed that people understand "bottom" better than "anus".

bowel movement

Starts with a capital letter.

breast milk

Breastfeeding, bullet points.

Find out how we use bullet points in the guidance on lists on the Formatting and punctuation page .

We prefer " bottom " (in phrases like "bleeding from your bottom").

We use "burp" and "burping". We also use " wind ".

Lower case.

calories (kcal)

See calories on our Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

can't or cannot

We use "cannot" instead of "can't".

Read why in the contractions section .

capital letters

See the guidance on capitalisation on the Formatting and punctuation page .

We use "carer" when we're talking about a family member or friend who cares for someone but is not paid for this.

We use "paid carer" for a carer who works for social services or another agency. A paid carer can help with personal care, for example getting washed and dressed.

We do not use "care worker" because we found that it is ambiguous.

Compare "carer" and " home help ".

cervical screening

We prefer the term "cervical screening" to "smear test". But we add "smear test" in brackets the first time we mention cervical screening.

"Smear test" is a dated term and the cervical screening programme no longer uses it. The invitation and results letters use "cervical screening" and our content reflects that.

We've seen anecdotal evidence from Public Health England, cervical screening service providers and smear takers that some users find the word "smear" off-putting.

We use "pharmacy", not "chemist". Our users are more likely to look for the word "pharmacy".

We prefer "for a long time" or "does not go away".

We have seen evidence that the word "chronic" confuses people. Some people think it means "bad" or "serious".

We do use "chronic" in the names of conditions like "chronic fatigue syndrome". We also use it if our search analytics, user testing or survey feedback suggest that people will hear their doctor use the word "chronic" or will search for it. If we use it, we explain what "chronic" means.

We use "CJD" – or "variant CJD (vCJD)" as the human form of BSE.

Use full name "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease" when you first mention CJD.

We do not use "mad cow disease" or "BSE".

clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)

CCGs were replaced by integrated care boards (ICBs) in July 2022.

clinical systems

See GP system supplier names and patient-facing services .

Do not use the word "clinician". We've found many patients do not know what a clinician is.

Instead you could use "a doctor , nurse or other healthcare professional", for example.

We use "condition", "problem" or "illness".

We avoid words like "disease" and "disorder" as they can sound negative. But we do use these words in the names of specific diseases or disorders, like Alzheimer's disease or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or terms like "tropical diseases".

Find out how we talk about disabilities and conditions in the Inclusive content section .

continuing healthcare

Lower case and "healthcare" is one word.

We explain NHS continuing healthcare on the NHS website.

contractions

To find out how we use contractions, like "we're" and "don't", see the guidance on contractions on the Formatting and punctuation page .

convulsions

See seizure or fit .

Upper case.

Do not use:

• "Covid-19" with only the first letter capitalised
• "covid-19" lower case
• "coronavirus" as "COVID-19" is the specific condition

See also on this page:

COVID-19 vaccination status

In the context of COVID-19, vaccination status refers to which vaccine someone has had and how many doses.

Use "vaccination status" lower case.

Do not use "COVID-19 status".

You do not need to spell it out. The abbreviation is fine.

See the guidance on hyphens and dashes on the Formatting and punctuation page .

See our guidance on dates on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

Deaf people

If you're creating content for or about people who are Deaf and use British Sign Language to communicate, bear in mind that their needs will be different from those of people who have a hearing loss or tinnitus.

We use a capital D when we're talking to or about people who are Deaf and use British Sign Language to communicate because many Deaf people prefer it.

We recognise that this doesn't apply to everyone who comes to the NHS for information about deafness and so, as always, we check with the people we're creating content for how they want to be described.

We use "deafness" (with a lower case d) in our health content when we're writing about it, for example, as a symptom. But we prefer the term " hearing loss ".

Be direct wherever possible.

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.

Say "died" instead of:

• "passed away"

We do not recommend this language in cases of miscarriage or abortion, however. We are working on guidance on this.

degrees (temperature)

We use C for centigrade or Celsius – for example, 38C or −4C. Do not include the degree symbol (°).

We are no longer including references to Fahrenheit .

Also see fever and temperature .

We do not talk about people as "diabetic". We say they have diabetes.

We do use "diabetic" in phrases like "diabetic eye screening".

Not dietician.

disabilities

We use positive language to talk about disabilities. Read more about how we talk about disabilities and conditions in our Inclusive content section .

See condition .

We do not call them "water tablets". We explain that diuretics are "tablets that make you pee more".

It's OK to use the abbreviation.

We mostly use " GP ". We use "doctor" when someone might see a GP, a specialist or consultant in a surgery, hospital or clinic setting. We also use "doctor" when we're writing about healthcare abroad.

We use "your doctor" when we're writing about follow-up or ongoing care with a health professional, for example, when a doctor is prescribing and monitoring medicine.

We use phrases like:

• "talk with your doctor"
• "follow your doctor's instructions"

Also see " specialist ".

don't or do not

We use "do not" instead of "don't".

We use "Don't" in headings for Do and Don't lists . But we use "do not" for the commands in the list.

See dosage on our Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

Generally, we prefer the word "sleepy" to "drowsy" as people are more likely to search for "sleepy". But "drowsy" may be better if you're writing about feeling unusually sleepy in the daytime, particularly in the context of medicines.

In information about medicines, for example antihistamines, we prefer the terms:

• "drowsy (sedating)" to describe a medicine because these are the words people search for and see or hear in a GP or pharmacy setting
• "feeling sleepy (drowsy)" to describe a side effect

We use "medicines".

We only use "drugs" for illegal drugs.

eardrop, eardrum, earlobe, earwax

All of them one word.

eg can sometimes be read aloud as "egg" by screen readers. We prefer "for example" or "such as" or "like" or "including" – whichever works best.

We do not talk about people as "epileptics". We say they have epilepsy.

Find out how we talk about conditions in the Inclusive content section .

We use "equal to".

Avoid etc. Try using "for example" or "such as" or "like" or "including" instead.

ethnic minorities

Use "ethnicity", not "race".

We use "more than".

We use "too much".

Note the number and capital letters. This is the campaign which encourages people to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

We are taking references to Fahrenheit out of our content and just using Celsius. This is because healthcare professionals in the UK use Celsius. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also uses it and we refer to NICE for evidence-based guidance.

Celsius has been the official temperature scale in the UK since 1965.

Giving 2 different temperatures can confuse people who may be anxious or unwell. It's easier to have just one number to tell your GP.

We use "fart" and "farting" when we're talking about symptoms. People understand "fart" better than "passing wind" or " flatulence ".

We use " wind " for "trapped wind" or bloating.

We prefer the words "high temperature " to "fever", for example in a list of symptoms. Our user research shows that "fever" is not a well understood word.

But we still use it when we're writing specifically about fever or different types of fever (such as scarlet fever).

We prefer " farting " to "flatulence".

We only use "flatulence" when we need to for clinical content (for example, in a health information page about flatulence). We explain that flatulence is the same as wind or farting.

Not "influenza". No apostrophe.

flu jab or flu vaccine

We sometimes use "flu jab" for adults, because people search for this. But we use "flu vaccine" for children. (The child vaccine is a spray.)

People who are looking for information about flu vaccination in pregnancy search for "jab".

For the annual flu vaccination programme, we use the term "flu vaccine" as that covers children and adults.

We do not commonly use "foetus", except in the names of conditions like "foetal alcohol syndrome". We prefer " baby ".

We use "food pipe", not "gullet".

foot and mouth disease

We use "formula" or "baby formula", not "infant formula".

formulations

Rather than talking about different medicines formulations, we talk about "different types" (for example, of hydrocortisone) or "different ways" of using a medicine.

foundation trust

Lower case, unless you are giving the full name of a foundation trust. For example: Anytown NHS Foundation Trust.

See our guidance on fractions on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

See the guidance on full stops on the Formatting and punctuation page .

We do not use "gas". Instead we talk about " wind ", " burping " or " farting ".

Find out how we talk about gender in the Inclusive content section .

We mostly use "GP". We use " doctor ", where someone may see either a GP or another health professional like a specialist or consultant in a surgery, hospital or clinic setting. We also use "doctor" when we're writing about healthcare abroad.

We use "a GP" (rather than "your GP") when we're advising people to get medical advice, care or treatment, for example in a care card. (Find out more about helping users decide when and where to get care, with care cards .) This is particularly important when the user may need urgent care or to act out of hours.

Not all users are registered with a GP or have a regular GP. We use "a GP" to emphasise that users should get help and that it doesn't matter which GP they see.

Once we've used "a GP", we follow up with "the GP".

Talk to a GP about your condition. The GP might suggest...

We use "your GP" when the user is likely to be under a GP's ongoing care, for example, for a condition like diabetes or in the context of follow-up care.

We also use "your GP" rather than "a GP" in a transactional journey, such as NHS 111 online, where we have information about the user and we are referring them to their GP during office hours.

GP online services

We use "GP online services" as the collective term for online services like appointment booking, repeat prescription orders and medical record access.

Or you can use "GP surgery's online services" if this is clearer for your users.

See also GP system supplier names and patient-facing services .

When we're writing for the public, we use "GP surgery" or "surgery" rather than "practice", because our research shows us that this is the word patients are more likely to search for and use.

When we're writing for healthcare staff, we may use the term "GP practice" or "practice" for short. For example, for "practice managers".

Note that a GP practice can have more than 1 surgery.

GP system supplier names and patient-facing services

Users often do not recognise the name of GP systems in isolation from their patient-facing services.

Usability testing by the NHS App team showed that:

• users recognise "Patient Access" but often do not recognise the name of the supplier "EMIS"
• they recognise "SystmOnline" but often do not recognise the name of the supplier "TPP"

For patients, when referring to the GP system we say:

• EMIS (Patient Access)
• TPP (SystmOnline)
• Vision (Patient Services)

For patients, when referring to the patient-facing service of a GP system, it's OK not to include the supplier name. For example:

• Patient Access
• SystmOnline
• Patient Services

For healthcare staff, it's OK to refer to the system name of the GP supplier if appropriate. For example:

• EMIS or EMIS Web
• TPP or TPP SystmOne
• Vision or Vision 3

See also GP online services .

We use "food pipe".

GUM is short for genito-urinary medicine.

We use sexual health clinic .

haemorrhage

We often use the words "a very heavy bleed" instead of "haemorrhage".

If you need to use the word "haemorrhage", for example, in the name of a condition like a subarachnoid haemorrhage, explain what it is.

health record

We use "health record" rather than "medical record". "Health record" is more accurate as someone's record may cover social care as well as medical content. In our user research, we haven’t seen anyone confused by "health record". People see it as the same as a "medical record".

In some contexts, for example in forms, rather than asking about someone's "health record", we ask about "your health, and any health problems or treatments you've had in the past".

hearing loss

If you're creating content for people who have a hearing loss, bear in mind that their needs may be different from those of people who are Deaf and people who have tinnitus.

A home help helps with domestic tasks like cleaning and doing the laundry. Compare this with a " carer ".

We do not say "the homeless" or "homeless people". We prefer to talk about "people who are homeless".

Use ID without full stops.

This is fine for most screen readers.

We try not to use "ie" (which means "that is" or "that means"). You can usually write your sentence in another way.

immunisation

Only use "immunisation" in the names of organisations or programmes. For example, the Public Health England (PHE) immunisation programme or Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

We use " vaccination " otherwise.

imperial measurements

See the guidance on metric and imperial measurements on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

inclusive content

See the Inclusive content section of the style guide.

We avoid "incurable". Instead we say "cannot be cured".

You can use "injection" or "jab" for the injection of vaccine .

One word. Like outpatient.

integrated care boards (ICBs)

Lower case when spelt out in full, except when you are referring to a particular ICB. For example: Anytown Integrated Care Board.

We treat integrated care systems (ICSs) and integrated care partnerships (ICPs) the same way.

interaction

For medicines, we say "it does not mix with".

We use " vaccine ", not "jab", for the dose people get in their vaccination.

For example:

• 6‑in‑1 vaccine
• COVID-19 vaccine
• HPV vaccine

It's OK to use "injection" if a substance or medicine is injected.

Research shows that "jab" can make people who are scared of needles more anxious.

If "jab" is a popular search term for your content (for example, "flu jab"), call it the "flu vaccine" but add "sometimes called the flu jab". Do this in the body content and the meta description.

We use "kidney" instead of "renal".

We may mention "renal" as well as "kidney" if our search analytics, user testing or survey feedback suggest that people will hear their doctor use "renal" or will search for it.

lateral flow

See rapid lateral flow test .

licensed for

For medicines, we say "can be used for" or is or isn't "officially approved for".

links and linking

Read our guidance on how we handle website links .

lip-reading

With a hyphen.

See the guidance on lists on the Formatting and punctuation page .

Long COVID refers to symptoms that can last weeks or months after COVID-19 infection has gone. It is also referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome. Find out about long COVID on the NHS website .

Use "long COVID": "long" is lower case and "COVID" is upper case.

• a capital L for "long" unless it is at the start of a sentence
• "Covid" with only the first letter capitalised or "covid" lower case
• the number "19" as you would when writing "COVID-19"
• "long coronavirus"

mad cow disease

We use " CJD ".

measurements

See the section on measurements on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

medical record

We prefer " health record ".

We use "medicine".

We use "medicine", not "medication".

mental health

See the section on mental health on the disabilities and conditions page .

metric measurements

Write "microgram" in full. Do not shorten it to "mcg".

It helps to explain that a microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg).

We only use the microgram symbol (μg) if people will find it helpful, for example, if they will see it on their medicines or vitamins packet. In cases like these, we add the following when we first mention micrograms: "The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg)." We explain that it's a Greek symbol so that people who use screen readers understand it when they hear an unexpected sound.

We do not use μg as an abbreviation in text that follows.

In "cows' milk" and "goats' milk", the apostrophe comes after the "s".

In "sheep's milk", the apostrophe comes before the "s", because "sheep" is plural.

We write "breast milk" as two words.

morning after pill

Lower case without hyphens. It can be "emergency contraception".

The abbreviation is fine.

mucus and mucous

"Mucus" is a noun. "Mucous" is an adjective.

If you have allergic rhinitis, the inside layer of your nose (the mucous membrane) may become swollen and you may produce a lot of mucus.

nationality

We prefer "feeling sick". You may want to put "nausea" in brackets afterwards: feeling sick (nausea).

If you use the word "negative" in the context of test results, be aware that some users may interpret it as bad news. In other words, they may think they have the disease.

If you have to use "negative", because this is the word people will hear when they get their test results, explain what it means. Negative means the test did not find what it was looking for.

We do not usually spell out "National Health Service". It's fine to use the abbreviation.

We refer to it as "the NHS", unless we're using NHS as an adjective, for example "NHS services".

NHS 111 online

On the NHS website and in national digital services, say "Go to NHS 111 online or call 111" if it's a call to action. Include the word "NHS" and give "online" a small "o". Shorten it to "111 online" if you mention it more than once on a page.

On non-NHS services, always use "NHS 111 online".

111 online is not for children under 5. Do not direct users to 111 online if the call to action is only about young children.

With an upper case A. It's the name of a specific app.

To avoid repetition of "NHS App", you can use "the app" where needed, for example "You can also order repeat prescriptions in the app".

When referring to something inside the NHS App, use "in" the app, not "on" or "with" the app.

You can get health advice in the NHS App.

When advising users about the browser version of the NHS App, we say: "You can also access NHS App services from the browser on your desktop or laptop computer".

Find out more about the NHS App on NHS Digital's website.

NHS England (NHSE)

The full name of the organisation is NHS England. The abbreviation is NHSE.

We write "login" in lower case and as one word. The NHS login lets people see their personal health information online.

Write the NHS number as 3 groups of numbers, with a single space between them, like this: 485 777 3456. (This is an example or test number.)

The format is 3 3 4: 2 groups of 3 digits followed by 4 digits.

Make sure that you:

• use this format whenever you include an example or include an NHS number
• keep the NHS number on 1 line - do not allow it to break over 2 lines
• only use a space as a separator - do not use dashes or dots
• do not use a real NHS number as an example - use 485 777 3456 or 123 456 7890

This number format makes it easier for people and assistive technologies to read. It also makes it less likely that people will make mistakes.

Ask your frontend or coding colleagues how to stop the NHS number breaking over 2 lines.

See our design pattern for asking users for their NHS number .

NHS website

Lower case "website". The NHS website is the website at nhs.uk .

nhs.uk and NHS.UK

When we're referring to the website at nhs.uk , we call it "the NHS website". We give the url in lower case.

If we're talking about NHS.UK as a programme in NHS Digital, we use capital letters.

We no longer use NHSX. It is now part of the Transformation Directorate at NHS England.

We use "usually".

"Normally" in a health context can make people feel they are not "normal".

numbered lists

Find out how we use numbered lists in the guidance on lists on the Formatting and punctuation page .

See our guidance on numbers, measurements, dates and time .

Avoid "occur". Try other words, like "happen", or reword your sentence.

For example: instead of "Symptoms only occur in children under the age of 2", we say: "Only children under the age of 2 get symptoms".

It's OK to use OK.

We've tested it on screen readers and it reads out OK.

online consultation

Do not use the term "online consultation" or any variation of it, like "eConsultation".

If you're writing about using an online form to contact a GP surgery, be clear about the task and the outcome. The best way to describe this may depend on the context and the service that's available.

For example, you could use phrases like:

• "Contact your GP using an online form"
• "Request an appointment (online)" where this is relevant, for example on a GP website alongside offline booking options

Our research showed people are not familiar with "online consultation". When the term is used for an online form it's misleading. Many people think it means they'll have a consultation with a doctor online, rather than complete a form to request an appointment.

If you are talking about a phone, video or face to face consultation with a doctor or other health professional, be clear about the format.

online services

Opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists and orthoptists.

We say "go to an opticians" (plural in this context) when we're telling people to take action. We only mention specific job roles where there's a user need for this.

An optician (sometimes called a dispensing optician) checks prescriptions, fits and repairs glasses and lenses and helps with choosing frames and lenses. We use "opticians" for the place where you get your eyes tested. Note: an optician does not carry out eye tests.

An optometrist carries out eye tests and checks for vision problems or health issues such as high blood pressure. They prescribe lenses and refer patients for treatment.

An ophthalmic medical practitioner is a doctor who specialises in eye care. Like an optometrist, they examine eyes, test vision and prescribe lenses.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who can perform eye surgery. They also diagnose and treat eye conditions, and prescribe medicine, glasses or contact lenses.

An orthoptist is a specialist in squints and eye movement problems.

We use the word "mouth". For example, we say "mouth cancer" rather than "oral cancer".

If we're talking about taking medicines, we say "by mouth" or "that you swallow".

oral contraceptives

We use "contraceptive pills".

organisations

We use a singular verb for an organisation. For example: "The NHS in England deals with over 1 million patients every 36 hours." Or "The World Health Organization says …".

We use the pronoun "it" for the NHS.

Organisations do not do things. The people in organisations do. So we say: "Tell hospital staff in advance if you can’t attend your appointment and they will try to arrange a new one", rather than "… the hospital will arrange a new one".

One word. Like inpatient.

over the counter or OTC

We say "medicine you buy (from a pharmacy or shop)".

We put pharmacies first, ahead of supermarkets and shops.

passing wind

We do not use "passing wind". People understand " fart " better.

See " people or patients ".

PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are sent to a lab to get the results.

Use "PCR test". For example "PCR home test kit" or "PCR test site".

• "virus test"
• "antigen test"
• "swab test"
• "symptomatic test"
• "home test" or "home kit"
• "drive-through test" or "walk-in test" on their own

See our guidance on PDFs and other non-HTML documents .

We use the nouns "pee" and "urine". We know that everyone can understand "pee", including people who find reading difficult. Most people also understand and search for "urine", for example in phrases like "blood in urine".

We do not use "wee" because it can confuse people who use voice technologies or screen readers.

We use "pee" for the verb, not "urinate" or "pass urine". We know that the people who use NHS digital services talk about and search for "peeing more often" and "peeing at night".

people or patients

Generally, we address people as "you".

If we're writing in the third person, we mostly use "people" but this varies depending on the context. "People" is a broad term which covers patients, carers, their family and friends.

We prefer "people" for content aimed at the general public but we sometimes use "patients" if the word "people" might be confusing, for example, where we need to distinguish patients from the general public.

"Patients" may also be more suitable in content for health professionals.

percentages

See our guidance on fractions and percentages on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

Do not use "perinatal". In our user research, most people did not use the term "perinatal". Instead, they refer to "pregnancy" and the stage of their pregnancy.

If you need to use "perinatal" because users will come across the word, explain what it means, depending on the content. In most cases, it means the time you are pregnant and up to 12 months after giving birth.

Perinatal mental health teams also offer support to people with mental health problems when they are planning to get pregnant.

We use "carry on" or "keep going".

personal child health record (red book)

All lower case. We include the phrase "red book" in brackets the first time we mention "personal child health record". Then we usually call it the "red book" after the first mention.

Also see health record .

personal protective equipment (PPE)

Use "personal protective equipment (PPE)" the first time you mention it, then you can use "PPE" after that.

Use "personal protective equipment (PPE)" in the page title (H1), not "PPE".

Do not use "Personal Protective Equipment" with capital letters.

Do not use "personal protective equipment (PPE)" when referring to "face coverings".

phone and phone numbers

We use "phone" rather than "telephone" for mobile and landline phones. Use phone: 011 111 111 or mobile:. Do not use mob:.

Use spaces between city and local exchange. Here are the different formats to use:

• 01273 800 900
• 020 7450 4000
• 0800 890 567
• 07700 900 866
• +44 (0)20 7450 4000
• +39 1 33 45 70 90

When an organisation has chosen a memorable number, for example for a campaign, group the numbers into easily remembered units. An example is the number for the Samaritans: 116 123.

We prefer to use "call" or "phone", not "ring" or "dial". Survey responses show that users are more likely to use "call" or "phone".

PMS (premenstrual syndrome)

We prefer "PMS" instead of "premenstrual syndrome". PMS is a commonly understood term and it is used more often than "premenstrual syndrome". But we should write it as "PMS (premenstrual syndrome)" at the first mention to make it clear what PMS stands for.

We do not say "premenstrual tension" or "PMT" as these terms are more dated and users do not search for these as much as PMS.

We mostly use "poo", rather than "stool". We know that everyone can understand "poo", including people who find reading difficult.

We do not use "opening your bowels" or "bowel movements".

We sometimes use the words "stool" or "bowel" when people will hear their GP use them. But we will explain the term or phrase. For example:

• "a sample of poo (stool sample)"
• "Bowel incontinence can affect people in different ways. You may have a problem if you have sudden urges to poo that you can't control."

If you use the word "positive" in the context of test results, be aware that some users may interpret it as positive news. In other words, they may think they do not have the disease.

If you have to use "positive", because this is the word people will hear when they get their test results, explain what it means. Positive means the test found what it was looking for.

A positive result means it's likely you had COVID-19 when the test was done.

"Practice" is the noun, as in "GP practice". "Practise" is a verb. For example: "Practise pelvic floor exercises".

When we're writing for the public, we use "surgery" rather than "practice", because our research shows us that this is the word patients are more likely to search for and use.

When we're writing for healthcare staff, we may use the word "practice". For example, for "practice managers".

preconception care

We prefer "planning your pregnancy" or "thinking about your health before you get pregnant" or just "getting pregnant". This is the kind of language our users use.

Clinicians sometimes use "preconception care" when they're talking about women who need special care before they get pregnant - for example, changes to their medicine. We do not use "preconception care" as a topic. Instead we give specific advice where people need it, for example: "Talk to your doctor if you want to get pregnant. It's best to stop taking [name of medicine] at least 3 months before you start trying for a baby."

premenstrual syndrome

See " PMS (premenstrual syndrome) ".

We prefer "outlook".

quotation marks

See the guidance on quotation marks on the Formatting and punctuation page .

radiographer or radiologist

Radiographers take X-rays. Radiologists read them.

rapid lateral flow test

Rapid lateral flow tests show the result on the device that comes with the test.

Use "rapid lateral flow test".

Report an NHS rapid lateral flow test result on GOV.UK.

Use "rapid lateral flow device" for the device used as part of a rapid lateral flow test.

• "antigen test" or "rapid antigen test"
• "rapid test"
• "rapid antigen test"
• "asymptomatic test"
• "symptom-free test"
• "30 minute test"
• "self-reported", "self-use", "self-sampling" or "self-swab"

We prefer " bottom " or " anus ". Only use "rectum" when the other alternatives are not clear enough, for example when talking about surgery to remove part of the rectum.

We found that people do not search for "rectum" in Google as much as other terms.

See personal child health record (red book) .

Redness is often mentioned as a symptom of health problems such as skin conditions, infections, and allergies. But this may be based on how the symptom appears on white skin.

When you mention redness in content, always consider whether the description is accurate for all skin tones. A symptom that looks red when it appears on white skin may not look red on skin that's brown or black.

reduce pain

We say "help with pain" or "ease the pain".

reduced kidney function

We say "kidneys that do not work well".

We prefer "kidney".

risk and risk factors

We prefer "chance" to "risk" when we're writing for the public.

We try not to talk about "risk factors" and instead explain them some other way.

We do use "risk" and "risk factors" when we are writing for a more specialist audience.

safe and safer

Beware of saying "safe drinking" or "safe sex".

It's hard to know what is really "safe" so we talk about "safer sex" or "safer drinking". That suggests that people can lower but not necessarily get rid of the risk altogether.

safety precaution

We say "for safety".

secure message

We've found that people do not understand "secure message". Also, the word "secure" makes some users question security.

Instead, make it clear how people will get a message. Use the words "text" or "email" or, for example, "messages through the NHS App".

See " drowsy ".

We say "ask for".

seizure or fit

We add the word "fit" after "seizure" ("seizure or fit") in content about epilepsy, brain cancer and brain tumours. We know that "seizure" is the word that people with epilepsy use, understand and generally prefer and that it's not the same as a "fit" (which is a kind of seizure that makes the body jerk and shake uncontrollably). But some of our users do not understand the word "seizure" and including the word "fit" when we first mention seizures helps them.

In general content, for example, with medicines that might make people jerk and shake uncontrollably as a side effect, we use the term "seizure or fit" and explain that this is what we mean.

We only mention "convulsions" where there's good evidence that users are searching for the term.

service user

We prefer " people" or "patients " - or in social services "people who use services".

We avoid the term "hospital setting". We just say "in hospital".

Instead of "community setting", we mention the place, for example, "in school", "in a clinic" or "at home".

sex and sexuality

Find out how we talk about sex, gender and sexuality in the Inclusive content section .

sex assigned or registered at birth

We use the phrase "sex assigned at birth" when we're talking about trans health and gender dysphoria, as this is the language our audience uses. In other cases, we use "the sex someone was registered with at birth" because user research shows that most people understand this better as it refers to an actual event.

sexual health clinic

We use "sexual health clinic", not "STI clinic".

Sexual health clinics can offer different services. So, when we mention them for the first time and are talking about STIs, we sometimes add that they may also be called "GUM clinics".

When we are talking about contraception, we sometimes add that they may also be called "family planning or contraception clinics".

Also see " STI ".

We use "feeling sick" instead of "nausea", but you may want to put "nausea" in brackets afterwards: feeling sick (nausea).

We use "being sick" instead of "vomiting". Again, you may want to put "vomiting" in brackets afterwards: being sick (vomiting).

We use "vomiting" in phrases like "vomiting blood".

We use "vomit" as the noun. For example, "blood in your vomit".

side effects

We say that people may "get" or "have" side effects, not "develop" or "experience" them.

We write "site map" as 2 words so that screen readers pronounce it clearly.

Generally, we prefer the word "sleepy" to "drowsy" as people are more likely to search for "sleepy". But " drowsy " may be better if you're writing about feeling unusually sleepy in the daytime, particularly in the context of medicines.

skin colour changes

When you mention a change in skin colour, such as a red rash, redness with swelling, or skin turning yellow or blue, always consider whether the change will look the same on all skin tones.

We prefer " cervical screening ".

Use "text message" instead of "SMS".

We generally use the word "specialist" for consultants and other specialist medical professions. For example, we use "a heart specialist" instead of "a cardiologist".

Also see " doctor ".

Although we can use "specialty" in a medical context (doctors and hospitals have "specialties"), we generally avoid using it.

We're more likely to use the word " specialist " or to talk about a health professional who "specialises in" something.

See our guidance on statistics on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

You might want to spell out "sexually transmitted infection" the first time you mention it. Otherwise it’s fine to use the abbreviation STI.

We talk about "a" sexually transmitted infection but "an" STI.

We do not use the terms "sexually transmitted disease" or "STD".

Also see " sexual health clinic ".

We use "stomach" for the internal organ and in some common phrases like "stomach ache" and "stomach bug".

We sometimes use " tummy " for short, for example in "tummy bug".

Also see " abdomen ".

suffering from

We do not use "suffering from". We talk about people having or living with a disability or condition.

Read more about how we talk about disabilities and conditions in the Inclusive content section .

summary care record

For a professional audience (people who will know the abbreviation already), it's OK to use SCR after the first mention of a summary care record. (It's "an", not "a", SCR.)

For the public, we avoid the abbreviation. Instead it may be better to say: "your health record " or "a summary of your health record".

Note that a practice can have more than 1 surgery.

We say that people may "get" or "have" symptoms, not "develop" or "experience" them.

telephone and telephone numbers

See " phone and phone numbers ".

temperature

We avoid giving a specific temperature in most cases. This is because it's normal for people's temperature to rise when they are ill or have an infection. How much their temperature changes varies from person to person. So we do not focus on a particular temperature.

In a list of symptoms, we say "a high temperature" or "if your child is feeling hotter than usual if you touch their neck, back or tummy".

When we're telling people to do something about a high temperature in an adult or a child over 6 months old (for example, in the pattern to help users decide when and where to get care, with care cards ), we say:

• "if your temperature is very high, or you feel hot or shivery"
• "if your child's temperature is very high, or they feel hot or shivery"

The exception is when talking about the temperature of a child under 6 months old. In these cases we state a specific temperature and say:

• "if your child is under 3 months old and has a temperature of 38C or higher, or you think they have a high temperature"
• "if your child is 3 to 6 months old and has a temperature of 39C or higher, or you think they have a high temperature"

Also see " degrees (temperature) " and " fever ".

We use "terminal" when a condition or illness is likely to lead to death. We find that people with cancer, for example, often use this word.

See our guidance on time on the Numbers, measurements, dates and time page .

tranquillise and tranquilliser

Note the double "ll". We use the British spelling with "s", not "z".

Do not use the word "triage" in a GP setting. People do not understand what it means and if they do, they associate it with A&E.

In a GP setting you could say, for example: "We will look at the information you give us and decide the most suitable person for you to see and when they are available".

If you have to use "triage" in the context of A&E or urgent treatment centres, explain what it means. For example: "A doctor or nurse will work out what order to see patients in, so they see the most serious cases first. People who arrive after you may be seen before you."

We mostly use "weeks" when writing about time in pregnancy.

We've found that most users think about their pregnancy in "weeks" or "months", but using "weeks" means we can be more precise.

Trimesters are less clear. If you do use the word "trimester", explain what you mean, for example: "the 1st trimester (up to about 13 weeks)".

We use numerals for numbers , for example "13 weeks", instead of "thirteen weeks".

We prefer "try to" to "try and".

Some users feel that "tummy" is childish but it can work well in content about children.

It can also be a good alternative to abdomen when you're talking about the outside of the body (a broader area than the stomach).

Also see " abdomen " and " stomach ".

Use "unplanned' rather than "unwanted" when talking about pregnancy.

urinary tract infections

We use "urinary tract infections (UTIs)", not "water infections".

We prefer "womb".

vaccination

We use "vaccination" for the process or national programme. (We do not say "immunisation programme".)

• NHS vaccination schedule
• flu vaccination programme
• COVID-19 vaccination programme

Most people search for "vaccination", not "immunisation".

"Vaccination" includes injections and oral or nasal spray.

We use "vaccine" for the dose people get as part of a vaccination programme.

• the 6‑in‑1 vaccine
• the HPV vaccine
• you will have the vaccine as an injection in (part of the body)

Use "COVID-19 vaccine".

Use "COVID-19 vaccination" for the vaccination process or programme.

Example: someone will get the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

For the annual flu vaccination programme, use the term "flu vaccine". The child vaccine is a spray, so "flu vaccine" covers children and adults.

See also the entries for booster and jab .

We prefer plain English terms like "plastic tube" or "glass container". If people need to know the word "vial", we might add it in brackets, for example: "plastic tube (vial)".

We use "being sick" instead of "vomiting". You may want to put "vomiting" in brackets afterwards: being sick (vomiting).

walk-in centre

Not walk in centre or Walk-In Centre (unless it's the name of a particular centre).

water infections

We use "urinary tract infections (UTIs)" instead.

water tablets

We do not use "water tablets". We explain that diuretics are "tablets that make you pee more".

White or white

Use a capital letter when you're writing about ethnicity or when you're asking users for their ethnic group, for example: "people from a White British background".

We talk about skin colour clearly and use terms that are easy to understand, including "white skin". We do not describe white skin as "fair" or "light".

We use "wind" when we're talking about babies. For example, "bringing up wind".

We also use it when we're talking about "trapped wind" or bloating.

We use "burping" too.

Also see " fart ".

With a capital X.

you and your

We address users as "you". See the section on voice and tone .

We use "your" for parts of the body, where appropriate. For example: "the cells in your liver".

zimmer frame

Two words, lower case.

When we talk about "walking frames", we also mention "zimmer frames". We have found that older people are more likely to know them as "zimmer frames".

Help us improve this guidance

Share insights or feedback and take part in the discussion. We use GitHub as a collaboration space. All the information on it is open to the public.

Read more about how to feedback or share insights .

If you have any questions, get in touch with the service manual team.

Updated: March 2024

Helping you improve services and outcomes

This toolkit will help you improve services and outcomes, determine value and effectiveness, and make informed decisions. It’s primarily for those involved in health and care services, but will be useful to anyone hoping to conduct an evaluation.

Developed by:

Identify & understand

Review & act, how evaluation can help, what is evaluation.

Evaluation can help you to consider what works, what doesn’t work and how things can be improved. Definitions for evaluation have a common theme of judging or comparing the worth of something.

There are different types of evaluations, ranging from simple service evaluations to complex research projects. Each evaluation requires a different approach depending on its purpose, evidence base, stage of development, context, resources and timescales.

Economic evaluation guide

An introduction to economic evaluation concepts and how they can be used to demonstrate the impact of healthcare interventions.

• View this resource

Evaluation checklist - short version

A short checklist to help you plan your evaluation.

Case studies

Find inspiration for your own evaluation with these real life examples

Guidance from a range of organisations for in-depth advice

Services and support

Knowledgeable organisations who may be able to help you

Training resources

Want to learn more? Our training resources are a good place to start

The Evaluation and Evidence toolkits go hand in hand. Using and generating evidence to inform decision making is vital to improving services and people’s lives.

The toolkits have been developed by the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB), the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) and Health Innovation West of England .

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Healthcare, Medical and NHS

Healthcare, NHS and medical procurement in the UK is highly complex. A formal procurement process is utilised for most government and private sector contracts in the healthcare and medical sector. A quality bid or proposal is now almost a pre-requisite for winning any NHS, healthcare or other medical industry bid and most contracts are highly competitive. You need to score well on every question in order to gain a high overall score based on the weighting criteria that is generally adopted for most public sector contracts.

On the positive side, winning new contracts can help your business unlock growth and new revenue that is both substantial and stable. Our team of bid writing consultants here at Tsaks Consulting provide bid writing services focused on the healthcare industry. We provide NHS (National Health Service) bid support, tender and bid management for healthcare bids and bid writing services for organisations looking to secure medical industry contracts.

Types of healthcare industry contracts in the UK we can help you win

Given the diverse range of services, products and projects within the UK healthcare and medical industry, there are a variety of tenders that arise which our team of experience health bid writing consultants in the UK will assist with. Some of these include:

• Hospital services bids: These contracts are usually for the provision of healthcare services inside hospitals. A lot of them are associated with the NHS although there are other bids. The types of services our writers have helped clients bid for include clinical services, diagnostics services and patient care. These services often extend to include aged care and nursing homes.
• Primary care services: These contracts, PPQs and bids are generally associated with providing general practitioner (GP) services, dental services and community healthcare. We have extensive experience helping our clients write and win dental services contracts. In addition, our medical contract bidding specialists have helped GPs bid for primary care GMS contracts to the NHS including for example the NHS Lothian. We work closely with GPs and doctors to guide them through the process, particularly when they have not had any experience bidding and need our help to submit the bid and secure the contract.
• Medical equipment and devices bids: There are many medical equipment and device tenders that cover a broad range of devices and medical equipment used in the healthcare industry in the UK. These include both NHS and private sector contracts and cover a broad range of products and services. For example, our NHS bid writers have written bids for the provision of radiology equipment, hospital bedding and medical equipment and devices such as syringes.
• Health Information Technology (HIT) bids: These contracts combing the IT and ICT contracts with the unique requirements and challenges of the health industry. More often than not, one of our bid writers who focuses specifically on IT bids and proposals will assist our clients with this tender. They bring a combination of IT and health sector experience which is generally needed for these types of bids. These range from software (such as practice management software) to the supply of computer, telephone and other equipment.
• Ambulance Services: Most of these contracts are for the provision of emergency medical services and patient transport services. These contracts can become more challenging when looking to win bids in regional areas. In our experience, it is important to focus on local knowledge as well as equipment and fleet management in order to secure patient transport services contracts.
• Healthcare construction and infrastructure tenders: Similarly to IT tenders, construction and infrastructure tenders are generally delivered by our bid writers who specialise in construction. Having said that, there are some considerations which need to be taken into account in the methodology that are specific to working in the hospital and healthcare space. For example, for maintenance contracts in healthcare, there are special considerations and safety precautions that need to be implemented when working in a live hospital environment as well as specific training for the trades and other personnel to ensure they comply with the licensing and other protocols of working in a live hospital. Dust management is also a key issue. For larger construction projects such as the construction of new medical centres and hospitals, the building process needs to take into considerations the unique requirements of healthcare buildings.
• Mental Health Services Bids : These bids are generally associated with mental health services such as counselling, therapy and psychiatric care. Within these three areas there are a broad range of sub areas depending on the specific demographic of patients who require that care. Over the years, our bid writing consultants have written a range of mental health services bids. We take the time to focus on your CVs, the depth of resources in your team, and the methodology and process of how you plan to deliver the services. It’s important to also demonstrate insight into the unique challenges faced in providing mental health services and provide solutions around how you will foresee and overcome them.
• Public Health Service: There was an increase in public health service tenders throughout the Covid outbreak, although contracts are consistently released. These include contracts for public health initiatives, disease prevention programs and some health promotion campaigns. Generally speaking, it’s not your typical health and medical companies who apply for these types of tenders. We have assisted PR and Communications firms as well as other boutique consultancies apply for a broad range of public health services contracts across the UK.
• Nursing and Care Services : Nursing and care services operators, including nursing agencies tender for a range of difference nursing and care services tenders. These often include the provision of home care, long-term care and other support services specifically tailored for the elderly or those with disabilities. We have helped nursing agencies as well as private providers bid for contracts with the NHS as well as other private organisations to provide care support services. The unique issues that face people with a disability are different to the elderly and other groups. Our bid writing consultants will help you tailor your bid to these specific groups so that you submission demonstrates your knowledge and resonates with the reader.
• Rehabilitation Services : There are different disciplines within the rehabilitation sphere. These include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and general rehabilitation programs. A long-term focus, as well as the ability to deliver real results is critical when writing rehabilitation services bids. You need to not only write a compelling bid that demonstrates your skillset and experience, but you need to present a detailed methodology and program about how you are going to consistently deliver the rehabilitation services over the full term of the contract to a high quality.
• Diagnostics and Pathology : A highly specialist area there are many contracts for the provision of diagnostics imaging services, pathology services and laboratory testing across the UK. From multinational operators and large national providers, to smaller firms looking to provide pathology services in some rural areas, our writing professionals have helped clients win services for contracts large and small. A focus on equipment and innovation including AI is only exceeded by operational details such as the proposed team for providing such services and the system and processes for managing and delivering diagnostics and pathology services. We also provide services for respiratory bids and contracts.
• Telemedicine and Telehealth : With the increase in technology and receptivity for remote and telehealth solutions amongst the general UK public, telemedicine and telehealth contracts have been increasing in volume over recent years. They are highly applicable in providing health services to remote locations. Examples of contracts including tenders for the development, implementation and operations of telehealth and telemedicine services as well as contracts with the NHS and other organisations to deliver remote and out of hours healthcare services.
• Medical Waste Management : More often than not, our generalist tender writers write waste management tenders. These include proposals and bids for waste management services in hospitals and medical centres. Medical waste has its own unique challenges and requirements. Innovative products are often useful to win bids and the service and implementation of the waste management contracts are also important. The procurement team want to know that you have a smooth and efficient operation for collecting waste. Our healthcare bid writing consultants take the time to demonstrate not only your product and services but also your ability to consistently service the contract for an extended period of time.
• NHS Workforce recruitment : There is a critical need for qualified healthcare professionals in the NHS. As a result, workforce recruitment tenders are often high in volume and also highly competitive. Service providers need to focus on recruitment methodologies, their talent pool and how they nurture it, diversity and inclusion and your ability to source candidates for in-demand roles. Having a presence in the local area and having built a pool of resources with which to retain talent is also critical to winning NHS workforce recruitment contracts.
• Integrated Community Health contracts : To win a integrated community health contract, you need to demonstrate that you will bridge the gap and ensure seamless collaboration and communication between healthcare entities to deliver a quality service. You also need to demonstrate that your proposed care model is patient-centred and that your organisation leverages on technology to optimise data sharing and collaboration.
• Supported living bids and contracts: These contracts have a strong focus on providing a personalised service. Given these services are provided to vulnerable members of the community, you must demonstrate robust quality assurance protocols that ensure you will provide high-quality services over the full term of the contract. When writing bids for supported living tenders for our clients we take the time to tailor the bid on the specific demographic that will be supported and demonstrate insight into their unique needs, as well as how our personalised care will address them. Demonstrating that tailored care plans will be put in place to increase their independence and overall quality of life is also critical.
• GP APMS (Alternative Provider Medical Services) : These are often complex and challenging bids. You need to demonstrate a deep understanding of the local area and there local healthcare needs throughout your bid. The primary care solutions you propose need to be patient-centric and deliver real ease of accessibility for patients. In addition, your services have to align with the NHS’s values and ethos, and you need to demonstrate that you will excel in patient engagement.
• Dermatology: The provision of top-tier skincare and dermatology services is critical for the general population. We have helped dermatologists write and win contracts to provide services across the UK. It is important to demonstrate a focus on continuous education and your commitment to using innovative and cutting-edge treatment modalities. When bidding for larger contracts, you also need to show your depth of resources and the size of your practice and demonstrate how this puts you into a good position to deliver the contract.
• Sexual Health: These contracts cover services to address a broad range of sexual health challenges including education programs, prevention programs and treatment. When bidding for sexual health contracts, you need to demonstrate that your program or services have processes in place to maintain confidentiality and are inclusive. In addition, there are diverse community needs which need to be addressed. 

How we can help you win NHS contracts

The National Health Services ( NHS ) forms the basis of the UKs healthcare system. It provides a wide range of services to the people of the UK. NHS contracts cover a broad spectrum of procurement needs. There are a large range of regulatory frameworks, policies and specific guidelines within the NHS. All of our specialist NHS bid writers have a comprehensive understanding of these frameworks. This helps us ensure that when we write a bid for you, it aligns with the NHS requirements and is in accordance with the NHS requirements.

We take a tailored approach to completing each bid or PQQ. Each NHS tender is generally different and similar at the same time. They are similar in terms of structure and frameworks, and different in terms of the information they request and require. You need to put forward a tailored submission that recognises the unique demands on each contract.

Your bid not only needs to comply, it must also demonstrate your strengths, capabilities and value propositions. You also need to provide evidence for everything you state in order to build credibility in the mind of the reader.

Services we provide include:

• Writing your bid or proposal from start to finish. We will work with you to gather the necessary information and write the response so you have time to focus on your day job. We will help you find the required supporting documentation or create it as necessary.
• Identify tender opportunities. Through our free service our team will send you suitable contract opportunities for your business in order to help you find opportunities.
• Develop graphics and infographics. This is a necessity for some tenders to even get a look in. You need to submit a well presented submission which looks polished and professional. Complex technical solutions can be turned into simple and easy to understand infographics.

Contact our team of bid writers to see how we can help with you next NHS, healthcare or medical industry tender. We have helped companies all over the UK including in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and Nottingham.

Strategies and tips we recommend to help you win healthcare contracts

• Throughout your bid talk about and address the issues and challenges that are facing the healthcare sector. If it is a local area / regional contract, talk about both the specific challenges facing the local area and the nation more broadly. When you are writing your submission, make the link between your proposal and how your service will help address these challenges. For example, if you are submitting a bid to provide recruitment services for nurses, you may want to talk about any shortages in nursing staff and how you will deal with them.
• Clearly articulate how your proposal will lead to better patient experiences. You need to explain this from a care and outcome perspective. It is important to have this as a win theme throughout your bid. It may start to sound repetitive, however, for most bids, if you integrate improved patient experiences throughout the each of your responses, it will strengthen your bid and demonstrate that you will provide a patient centric service.
• A detailed methodology and transition plan. You need to demonstrate that your bid is well thought out and you will provide a seamless service. This requires planning and resource. It also requires you to submit detailed operational plans that span the entirety of the contract. For example, if you are submitting a bid to provide mental health care services for three years, you will need to show that you can deliver the services reliably as required, have a plan to recruit and retain the appropriate personnel and have thought through the demands and resources required to provide the care services with a resource allocation plan to meet these demands. This applies to administering the contract (reporting, invoicing etc) as well as actually providing the mental health services.

Who we service

Our clients include small GPs, dental providers, private community providers, a range of GP federations, NHS Trusts, recruitment and labour hire firms, hospital operators, medical equipment suppliers, hospitals and clinics offering specialist medical services, mental health services and psychiatric facilities, pharmaceutical and vaccine product suppliers and manufacturers, IT and software companies that specialise in health products ,facilities management companies, social care providers, pharmacies and many more businesses.

Our writing experts

Our bid writers that specialise in medical bids and tenders come from a medical background and spend at least 80% of their daily time writing medical and healthcare bids (mostly for NHS contracts). In addition we have a panel of specialist clinical advisors which we have established over the years who we lean on when necessary to provide highly technical content. This may be necessary if there is a specialist area which your in-house subject matter experts aren’t aware of.

All of our writers understand and have a working knowledge of both medical knowledge and terminology as well as the acronyms and terminology used and preferred by the NHS.

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Service Evaluation

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A service evaluation will seek to answer “What standard does this service achieve?”. It won’t reference a predetermined standard and will not change the care a patient receives.

Where an evaluation involves patients and staff, it is best practice to seek their permission, through consent, for their participation. The degree to which consent is taken can vary from asking someone if it is OK to seek their feedback on the service, through to a formal process using consent and information leaflets.

What is a service evaluation?

Many people make claims about their services without sound evidence to inform their judgements. A well planned and executed service evaluation will provide:

• Evidence to demonstrate  value for money .
• A  baseline from which to measure change .
• Evidence to demonstrate  effectiveness .
• Evidence to demonstrate  efficiency .
• Evidence to demonstrate  benefits and added value .

Service evaluations do not require NHS Research Ethics review but do need to be registered with, and approved by, the Research and Evidence Department before they can commence.   This will include checks that the project is feasible (e.g., the service has capacity, appropriate timeframes) and carried out in line with Trust standards. Registration ensures the R&E Department know what type of activity (research and service evaluations) is happening in which services.

Please note, the Trust primarily processes data to deliver healthcare. The data cannot be used for other purposes unless the law allows ‘secondary processing’. Research and service evaluation are both considered secondary processing.

Data collected through service evaluations must be obtained, recorded and stored as defined by all relevant data standards, including The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. At all times your evaluation must be designed in such a way that privacy is built into all aspects that involve data.

A great source of information is also available from the  Evaluation Works .

What do I need to do to undertake a service evaluation?

Be clear about what you want to evaluate.

This will shape how you conduct the evaluation and define what information you will need to collect and where the data is. Your project should also link to at least one of the Trust’s Quality Priorities.

Identify all stakeholders

Stakeholders in the success of your evaluation may include, amongst others service managers, commissioners, staff and patients. Be sure to engage them as early as possible to ensure they understand your work. Involving them early will help you shape your application to ensure it is successfully delivered.

Plan your project

Planning is paramount and needs to include an honest assessment of how long it will take to produce the necessary paperwork and seek approvals. You must also consider how and where data will be recorded and stored. Wherever possible you should use non-identifiable data. Data must be anonymised* or pseudonymised and kept secure within the Trust. The Information Commissioner's Office define ‘anonymised data’ as “…data that does not itself identify any individual and that is unlikely to allow any individual to be identified through its combination with other data.” Where agreed by the Research & Evidence Department, only fully anonymised data may be taken outside the Trust (e.g. to be stored on university servers).

All project members – Trust employees and those on honorary contracts – are required to have completed the Trust’s annual Information Governance (IG) training. A paper version can be provided where members do not have electronic access. Project members receiving anonymised data only are not required to complete the Trust’s IG training.

Develop your paperwork

The Service Evaluation (SE1) form sets out the information you need to provide. This covers the aims, objectives (what you will do to meet the aims), methodology (including data handling), analysis, and dissemination. Please follow the additional guidance on the SE1 form so that the form is completed in full.

Depending on how you plan to gather the data for your evaluation, you may need a participant information sheet and a consent form. You should seek appropriate informed consent from participants if you are asking them to do more than what is in the Friends & Family Test. Consent should be explicit verbal or written (written consent where participants are identifiable or where their identifiable data is involved, or qualitative methods are being used). The Research and Evidence (R&E) department can help you determine what you will need; templates are available.

All forms must be version controlled to ensure approved ones are being used.

Your project must be approved by, and registered with, the R&E department.

Prior to submission, applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposed project at one of the Trust’s monthly Research Clinics via MS Teams. This can help to improve the application. Please contact [email protected] to book on to a Research Clinic.

Apply to register your project with the Research and Evidence department

The completed SE1 form and any additional documents (e.g., copies of data collection forms and any interview topic guides) should be sent to [email protected] . Incomplete forms will be returned to the applicant to request completion. The review will not start until we have received a completed SE1 form and all relevant accompanying documents listed on the SE1 form. Please contact the R&E Department if you need advice.

Following an initial review from the R&E Compliance team, it is likely you will be invited to discuss your application at a Service Evaluation Review Panel (SERP) . This is a supportive discussion to help approve the project. The SERP will comprise representatives from relevant departments (e.g., R&E, Information Assurance) and allow applications to be processed more efficiently as it gives the applicant the opportunity to address any queries or concerns.

Applicants are expected to address any outstanding actions resulting from the SERP and submit responses. The application will be approved when any actions have been completed.

For non-Trust staff, a research passport / Letter of Access may be required where the applicant does not hold a contract with the Trust. This will be addressed at the SERP.

Applicants must not start their service evaluation until they receive written approval from the R&E Department.

Conducting your project

With good planning and engaged stakeholders your project should run according to plan. Where we see problems arise it is usually because of something that was not considered, or planning was not thorough enough.

Where relevant, the service evaluation lead will be asked to provide ‘recruitment’ figures quarterly to the R&E Department. This is so we can monitor the level of evaluation activity in the Trust. The study team should notify the R&E Dept when they have stopped recruiting participants.

Where amendments to the evaluation are necessary (e.g., timeframes, changes to the study team), the applicant should discuss and agree these with the R&E Compliance Team beforehand. This should prevent deviations to the approved study.

Writing up your project

It is important that your project is written up at the end to ensure what was learnt can be shared and used to make improvements. A Final Report (FR1) template is available. This is the minimum feedback that should be provided. You should send the final evaluation report to [email protected] so that we can put a copy on our Connect page.

In addition to providing the final report, the study team should present to the service or other relevant Trust meetings if requested.

We also want to capture the impact of your service evaluation so please give some thought as to how this can be achieved.

Forms, templates and guidance documents for service evaluations

• SE1 Form - Application for approval to conduct a Service Evaluation template v5.1.docx [docx] 53KB  – for applying to seek approval for a service evaluation
• GD-E002 Service Evaluations guidance for applicants v1.1 Jan22.pdf [pdf] 251KB  – for additional guidance on applying to do a service evaluation
• FR1 Form - Service Evaluation Final Report template (v2.0).docx [docx] 34KB  – a template for a Final Report
• T_SE Participant Information Sheet v1.0 Feb22.docx [docx] 328KB – a template with suggested text for a Participant Information Sheet
• T_SE Consent Form v1.0 Feb22.docx [docx] 333KB – a template with suggested text for a Consent Form

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