Stonewall applauds LGBT progress in trust

Equality and diversity is a vital component of service provision and the workplace. However, Stonewall research has found that many lesbian, gay and bisexual people often face barriers at work, ranging from discrimination to poor treatment. And, many lesbian, gay and bisexual people can experience poor mental health and unequal access to services.

For the last 18 months, the Trust has been working closely with Stonewall in the Healthy Lives programme. Healthy Lives provides bespoke free support to NHS organisations across England to improve the workplace for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees and services for lesbian, gay and bisexual patients.

During this period, hopefully many of you will have seen the positive impact of the joint relationship. The Trust now has a network for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff which has come on leaps and bounds in the past year and will continue to grow in the New Year. Additionally, training programmes have been updated to reflect the Equality Act 2010 and the specific health needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Senior leadership within the Trust have been committed to the work from the outset which has helped maintain momentum and keep such an important issue high on everyone’s agenda.

Challenges still remain for 2012 for the whole NHS not just Oxleas. We at Stonewall know that many lesbian, gay and bisexual people often face barriers when accessing health and care services and that the NHS does not always get it right. However, Oxleas are continuing to innovate to tackle these barriers – a poster campaign will be launched across all sites alongside a brand new Trust resource for lesbian, gay and bisexual patients to ensure that lesbian, gay and bisexual people receive the care and support they need and are entitled to.

As we reach the end of the Healthy Lives programme, it is clear just how much has been achieved and put in place since 2010. Stonewall look forward to continuing to work with Oxleas to make it a top employer and provider of quality services for all, regardless of sexual orientation.