Britain ran out of the word "urgent" on Monday. The last of it went into an apology from East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which promised an "urgent" investigation into a data breach.
My team has watched this word for three years. We measured how quickly things happen after an institution says it. The short answer is that they do not.
Every apology draws a little from one national reserve. Hospitals, councils, water firms and train companies all use the same supply. Nobody ever put any back. Officials must now choose from three backup words. "Swift" is already cracked down the middle. "Robust" has described so many reviews that it now simply means "a review". The third, "immediately", is kept in a sealed room, and we are not allowed near it.
The implications are, frankly, terrifying.
