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Healthcare

Stonewall does a lot of work around healthcare provision, including our groundbreaking Lesbian Health Survey which is due to be published shortly.

The Goods and Services Regulations which came into force in April ensure that GPs and hospitals have to treat everyone equally, regardless of their sexual orientation. However, Stonewall is aware that lesbian and gay patients and staff still experience discrimination and harassment in health and social care. We have worked with the Department of Health, the General Medical Council and other organisations to produce a number of guides for healthcare providers. These publications are available to download below.

• Being the Gay One: Experiences of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people working in the health and social care sector
• Harassment and Sexual Orientation in the Health Sector
• Monitoring Sexual Orientation in the Health Sector
• Working with Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual People: A Ten Point Plan

Being the gay one: Experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual people working in the health and social care sector

Click here to download document (PDF)

This guide was commissioned by the Department of Health to examine the experiences of lesbian gay and bisexual staff, and Stonewall was able to make a number of recommendations on how to tackle homophobia and harassment in the healthcare sector. The study indicates that there are a number of issues that the sector must address in order to prevent, and respond to, incidents of homophobia.

Stonewall recommendations for the Department of Health include:

• Investigate training
• Communicate with trusts, including managers
• Tell LGB staff their rights
• Support existing network groups, and encourage further local and national development
• Support the implementation of a Single Equality Act and encourage the development of Single Equality Schemes within the sector
• Raise the profile of LGB staff working in the sector
• Conduct further research into the impact that perceived conflicting freedoms has on equality work.
• Identify and promote good practice
• Inform the sector about new "goods and services" legislation
• Work directly with named organisations and help them become exemplars of best practice

Harassment and sexual orientation in the health sector

Click here to download document

This guide, commissioned by the Department of Health's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Group (the Better Employment work programme) explores the nature, extent and effects of homophobia in the Department of Health, the NHS, and Social Care.

Monitoring sexual orientation in the health sector

Click here to download document

Stonewall explored the issues surrounding the inclusion of sexual orientation in the equalities agenda of the Department of Health, the NHS, and Social Care. It makes recommendations about steps that the health sector can take to begin (or continue) the process of integration and protection of lesbian, gay and bisexual staff and patients. In particular, this guide will make recommendations about the best ways to begin monitoring staff and service users on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Working with Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual People: A Ten Point Plan

Click here to download document (PDF)

The NHS is the largest employer in Europe, employing 1.3 million people. Stonewall has worked closely with NHS Employers to come up with this ten point action plan to ensure that lesbian, gay or bisexual NHS employees can work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment.