This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
New health secretary angers staff with "ways of working" email
New health secretary Thérèse Coffey has angered healthcare workers with her “New secretary of state ways of working preferences”.
The email sent to hundreds of healthcare staff tells them to be positive and avoid using jargon. They were also told to avoid using Oxford commas.
Coffey was appointed by new prime minister earlier this month.
Sources said the instructions has been posted on the Department of Health and Social Care's intranet and sent in an email to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) staff.
A source with connections to the UKHSA told the Financial Times that the email was “super patronising . . . It does make you consider if you’re in the right place when a new minister comes in with this.”
“The idea that we have to frame issues positively indicates a person who doesn’t want to deal with problems, so that’s not encouraging.”
Staff at the UKHSA are currently facing the possibility of job cuts, alongside the cost of living crisis.
Image:
Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament (Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0))
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