Our tone and voice help people recognise the HSE and understand our messages clearly. They shape how we communicate across all channels.
The difference between tone and voice
We always have the same voice, but our tone changes. For example, people often sound one way at work and another at home.
We write with our audience in mind, thinking about how they might feel and changing our tone to match.
Our voice and tone are as important to our identity as our logo, website design, and the typeface we use.
On this page:
Writing for our partners and stakeholders
HSE voice
When we communicate, we want people to know it’s the HSE. We show our values of care, compassion, trust, and learning. We always put our patients and service users first.
We use the HSE voice to:
- create content that's sensitive to our patients, service users, clients, and staff
- help our audience understand important information about their health and wellbeing
- make our communications stronger and unique by always using a considered voice
- help us to speak with 1 voice across our channels
Tone and style
Human
A human voice is kind, personal and natural. It uses words that people understand. It should not be rigid or overly technical. Always think about who you are communicating with.
Easy to understand
We want as many people as possible to understand and use our content. For example, to follow important health advice or know how to get services.
Neutral and factual
We often explain complicated topics or ask people to follow important public health guidance. Our message must be clear and easy to understand.
Reassuring
We are Ireland’s public health and social care service. We are the experts and have a duty to provide essential health information.
Respectful
A respectful voice is inclusive, considerate and understanding. We need to consider who will read the information, what they need, and how they might feel.
Clear
We use language our users understand. We must be honest about what we're doing and why. We avoid jargon and complicated or technical terms.
Consistent
Our voice should be consistent across our channels. People should always recognise it as the HSE voice.
Tone
The tone can change depending on the audience or where we’re sharing the message. Think about the situation and how the reader might feel. For example, we write differently for people worried about their health than for people looking for a job with the HSE.
Our tone of voice should be:
- clear and helpful
- honest
- caring and understanding
- respectful, especially when when communicating difficult topics
Our audiences
Writing to staff
When we write to staff, we are often sharing important information.
We make sure it is:
- clear
- easy to understand
- useful
- sent at the right time
In our messaging, we focus on what staff need. We think about who we’re communicating with and why. We speak directly to staff using ‘you’, ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’ instead of ‘the HSE’.
We do not use slogans or vague language. Our information is clear, direct, and factual. We avoid jargon, technical words, and acronyms whenever we can.
Institute of Internal Communication (IOIC) ethical guidance - ioic.org.
Direct language examples
The Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Learning Hub is now available on HSeLanD.
We use data and online tools to make our content better. We ask for feedback and use it to improve how we communicate.
Heading example - short informative heading
It's time for your winter vaccines
Opening line example - important information in the opening lines
If you work in a healthcare setting, you are at high risk of being exposed to COVID-19 and flu. The best protection from catching and getting seriously ill from flu and COVID-19 is vaccination. Getting your vaccines will also protect the people you care for every day.
Supporting information example - short supporting information
Immunity from infection and previous vaccination weakens over time. Your COVID-19 and flu vaccines will top up your protection for the months ahead.
Descriptive link example
Learn more about healthcare worker vaccines
Writing for the press
When we write for the press, whether it's a response or press release, we write for the reader not just the journalist. We avoid complicated medical terms or detailed HSE processes. Our tone considers how the reader might feel and the situation.
Press releases
When writing a press release, think carefully about the topic because this will affect the tone you use.
Consider if you want the reader to:
- do something
- follow important public health advice
- learn about a new service
- understand a report being published about an operational or system failure
The headline should be interesting and patient focused.
Use the inverted pyramid style. Start with the most important information and then add more details. Make sure to provide the 5 Ws - who, what, when, where and why.
Ask yourself: what do we want people to do, know and understand? Consider how they might feel and use words that show we care.
Make the text easy to read by breaking it into short paragraphs with no more than 5 sentences.
Use the 2i process, which means 2 people review the release to make sure our tone and voice are consistent.
Quotes
Quotes are important in a press release and should be chosen carefully. They let the spokesperson show their personality and voice. The quote should not just repeat what's in the release. Instead, it should connect with the reader by sharing the speaker's emotions.
Example 1
Dr Catherine Motherway, HSE Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, said; “Organ donation and transplantation is seen as one of the greatest medical advances of the 20th century. Our organ donors both living and deceased are honoured and have our immense gratitude on this European Donation Day. On this day we think of them and their gift of life to others. We thank our colleagues across the country who have supported organ donation and transplantation over the last 60 plus years here in Ireland. Our transplant recipients and we who care for them acknowledge that without donors, our transplant programs would not be able to offer them hope and the chance of a better life.
“Demand for organ transplantation is increasing given advances in transplant medicine. However, a shortage of donors has resulted in high numbers of patients on waiting lists. At any one time, around 500 people in Ireland are waiting for a transplant. In 2023, there were 282 transplants carried out and in 2022 the number of transplants was 250 as a result of our organ donors both living and deceased.’’
Example 2
Dr Abigail Collins, National Clinical Lead for the HSE’s Child Health Public Health Programme and Consultant in Public Health Medicine, said, “Halloween conjures up a lot of excitement for families every year, costumes, pumpkins, trick or treating and lots more. This Halloween we are highlighting it is that time to consider giving your child a vitamin D supplement due to the dark winter months and the lack of sunshine, as well as sharing ways parents can reduce the usual seasonal risks from choking to burns. Our message to everyone is to keep health and safety advice in mind this midterm to help prevent injury or illness, and limit stress, during this magical time.”
Media responses
Our job is to make sure the media and the public can easily understand our responses.
While context and background are important, we must answer questions clearly. This often means explaining or simplifying technical terms.
When something goes wrong, we should be honest. We shouldn’t try to defend what can’t be defended. We should take responsibility, say sorry, and explain what we’re doing to fix the problem.
Example 1
We are appalled at this event and are glad that the criminal justice process has reached a conclusion. We wish to acknowledge the ordeal suffered by the victim and the victim’s family, who have endured enormous distress and trauma due to the actions of this medical professional who abused his position of trust.
We can’t say anything which could potentially identify the victim. Once we were made aware of the investigation by the authorities, the HSE immediately put the staff member on leave. Since then, their contract has expired and it has not been renewed. The member of staff went through all of the appropriate vetting and clearance on their appointment. All necessary procedures and protocols set out in the HSE’s Incident Management Framework and Serious Reportable Events guidelines were followed.
The HSE has worked closely with An Garda Síochána and Tusla, and we have found no evidence of any other incident. If any parent has any concern or question, we would ask them to contact their clinical team.
We would like to thank An Garda Síochána, Tusla and acknowledge the courage of the victim and the vigilance of the victim’s family, for their role in helping to bring this perpetrator to justice.
Ends
Example 2
The free contraception scheme is provided by GPs who hold a Free Contraception Contract. GPs who have not signed up to the scheme may charge patients a private fee for a contraception service.
The HSE advises patients age 17-35 who live in Ireland, have a PPS number and want a contraception service to ask their GP if they hold a Free Contraception Contact and provide the service free of charge.
Further information about the Free Contraception Scheme is available at https://www.sexualwellbeing.ie/sexual-health/contraception/free-contraception/
Ends
Writing for the web
People come to HSE.ie for many reasons, often at times when they may feel stressed or unsure.
For example, they might be:
- caring for someone sick at home and unsure they should see a GP or go to the hospital
- new parents looking for advice on caring for a baby
When we write for HSE.ie, we keep in mind how our service users might feel. We need to be clear, calm, and reassuring. We should be personal and helpful, not patronising or too formal.
Our tone changes based on the type of content and who we’re writing for. There are various tones we can use.
Example 1
Most earaches get better on their own in 3 or 4 days. It can be very sore, but pain relief is usually the only treatment you need. Antibiotics don't work for viral ear infections and can’t help with the pain.
Example 2
Eating well everyday can sometimes be difficult for busy families. But good habits that children learn in the home will stay with them for life.
Social media
We use the HSE voice on social media but the tone is different.
For social media, our tone is:
- personal
- friendly
- understanding
Emojis
Emojis are fun and useful because they:
- break up long text
- add colour to a plain post
- cut down on characters
Websites like Emojipedia help you find and copy emojis and explain what they mean.
It is important to note that emojis can have different meanings, so check before using them.
Don't use too many - just 1 or 2 per post is best. See a good example of this in our walk-in vaccine posts.
Writing for our partners and stakeholders
We work with many partners and stakeholders, who each represent their members' needs and concerns.
The HSE Partner Pack helps us share information with our partners. They can then share it with their members, staff, networks, and helplines. We also try to meet the information and communication needs of our partners. We listen to their concerns and try to fix them. If we don't have an answer, we let them know and do our best to find one.
When writing for our partners, think about what you want to happen from the information you share:
- what do you want them to do?
- how do you want people to feel?
- what do you want them to think?
Example
HSE campaign aims to increase knowledge of sepsis symptoms
A new HSE public information campaign highlights the signs and symptoms of the life-threatening condition, sepsis.
The campaign includes national and local radio, paid search and social media.
A campaign pack is attached at the bottom of this message. We would be very grateful if you would share these messages widely with your members, networks and staff. Thank you.
You can find more information and resources on the HSE website: Sepsis - HSE.ie