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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Tobi Thomas

‘Insulting’: shock as NHS uses offensive term for people with learning disability

NHS Disability NHS Digital WHO World Health Organization
A hospital ward in England
NHS Digital records categories of patients admitted to hospitals across England. Photograph: PA/Alamy

The NHS has been criticised for using outdated and offensive terminology in its official statistics when describing people with intellectual disabilities.

NHS Digital publishes annual statistics that record all admissions, appointments and attendances for all patients at NHS hospitals across England and is broken down by specific diagnostic categories.

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