Health professionals are advised to be more circumspect when dealing with patients they may perceive to be overweight.
New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) tells doctors and nurses to avoid language which could be construed as 'insulting'.
Using phrases such as 'achieving a healthy weight' and speaking 'more generally' about health issues 'may be more acceptable for some people', says the advice. Professionals should advise their patients to get down to a 'healthier weight.'
Said a NICE spokesman: "Yeah, you're not going to get called a 'fat bastard,' 'lard-arse' or 'obese get' when you go to see the doctor any more.
"And if the receptionists start singing 'Who ate all the pies?' when you walk into the surgery, we suggest you sue!'
