General Chat

Has anyone noticed how Patients are now commonly referred to as Clients?
To me a Client is someone who pays for professional servives...ie a Solicitor etc

In a hospital setting, surely you are a patient? A patient is a person who requires the services of a Dr or Nurse . The only other profession where you are called a client is where you might pay for sexual services..ie to an Escort or Prostitute.

I have friends who work in care homes and they call everyone their client. I just find this so wrong and it sounds terrible.

If I said to someone, this lady is my client, it would or could sound misleading and be misinterpreted.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer the term Patient in a medical setting.

Anybody else have a preference?

Same here. Except that you are a client of the company that runs the carehome and you are not a patient you are a resident.

Calling you a client distances the relationship.

I agree. I would rather be thought of as a patient rather than a client.

The other thing that gets to me (and I know this is down to my age) is being called by my first name in such settings. I would rather they kept things professional and used "Mrs. Bell". I know they are trying to sound friendly but I don't really want to be friends.
I don't really mind in the doctor's surgery as it is a small practice and they know me well. However in hospitals and clinics they don't really know me at all.

Kath. x

I am with you on the first name Kath, or should I say Mrs Bell? It annoys me when some young thing thinks that it is fine to call me by by first name. In my case, it is even more annoying as they are calling me by a name which I have never used. It is common in my fathers family to use the middle name instead of the first one, so I have always been known my my middle name. When these “ friendly” people call out my first name, it takes me a while to realise that they are talking to me.

I understand how you feel Linda. My husband has always been known as Bob but when they call out Robert it takes us a while to realise that it's him they want.

I'm happy to be known as Kath on here though ;-)

Kath. x

The present regime intends to replace the current doctor/nurse/patient relationship ( free and friendly at the point of use ) with a somewhat less user friendly client/delivery setup where the "client" is much more at a distance from Dr etc. All part of the creeping privatisation of the NHS.

If it is to become less user friendly then why the insistence in referring to you by your first name without asking permission.?

Since I have been divorced, I prefer people now to call me by my first name even though im not keen really but the reason is this. When they were calling me Mrs...whatever, they assumed I was married and one person said and how is Mr....whatever! When I said we were now divorced, they wondered why I was still a Mrs. So now the surgery and local hospital call me by my first name.

I have a family pet name that im known by but only friends and family know me by this.

Names yes I agree, if you permanently reside in a care home then you are a resident not a patient.

Yes Pat it does because we associate Client with fee paying professional services and therefore you would have a professional distance between you as in business.

But I also do not like the title Ms!

Florence in the hebrides

To be called a 'client' smacks of 'ladies of the night' :-D :-D :-D

I agree with you. I am also known by my second name, but computers put paid to that and I have now learnt to answer when called by my first name!

To be fair, all our local NHS places ask what I would like to be called, and my hairdresser also uses "Mrs".

Before I retired I used to work for the Revenue and the public was universally known as taxpayers. Then one day we were told that in future they were to be "customers". :-| :-| We couldn't work out the logic behind that at all, as we all thought what a customer did was buy something and the one thing taxpayers did not do was buy anything!!!

Exactly what I said earlier Maggie :-D :-D :-D :-D

Great minds think alike, Florence! :-D :-D :-D

Andysmum it was the same in DSS when they changed from 'Claimant' to 'Customer ' too. We didn't like it either as a 'claimant' correctly described someone claiming what was rightfully theirs by the payment of their NI. Customers buy things as you say.

I remember when I would be called 'Miss' in shops and suddenly felt quite old when it changed to 'Madam'. :-D

It's a very American/Canadian idea.

For the last 55 years or so, we've been called by our first names, by doctors, dentists, their receptionists, etc. Some who are much younger than us will ask which we prefer ............. and to be honest, I've got to prefer my first name, as it does seem less condescending.

It is supposed to show that there is no difference in social scale, no condescension, between "them" and "us", as is implied when you are addressed as Mrs or Mr xxx.

I first heard of client vs patient in social services circles here ............. again, it was thought that to be called a patient by a social worker was deemed insulting. Client was though to give the "patient" some feeling of being respected.

Being respectful in my day meant never calling anyone by their first name if they were older than yourself and always using Mr. or Mrs xxxx

The only time it was o.k. was if the person was a particular friend of the family and then they were called Aunty or Uncle - even though they weren't.

Kath. x

Kath

That was how I was raised also, but different countries, different customs!

America considers there are no class differences, and that means not having to call someone older by Mr or Mrs.

Graduate students at university would often call their supervisors by their first name, and technicians and assistants would also call the boss by first name.

We were considered a bit strange when we made our toddler call neighbours by Mr or Mrs, and when we asked close friends what they wanted to be called ................ Auntie, Mrs, or first name.

We had one couple, very close friends, who differed, she wanted to be called Auntie, he wanted Mr.

Others were happy with Auntie or Uncle, and then changed as daughter got into late teens, and asked her to please call them by their first names.

I still call my Aunties, Aunty. I wouldnt dream of calling them by their first name! Its a respect thing.

The 'Auntie' thing was never part of my growing up.

I was thibking of the diference between parient and client.

The Patient is patient in waiting for the treatment and the Client demands it NOW.

Yes thats true Names, very true. Im a very patient Patient!