Six out of ten England hospitals trusts will introduce NHS rainbow badges that enable staff to support LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) patients.
Evelina London designed the scheme and it was successfully piloted at St Thomas’ Children’s Hospital in February.
Even though it was launched less then a year ago by 61% NHS trusts in England, the scheme has been successfully launched or is being rolled out using a special toolkit from Evelina London.
Currently, more that 4,000 Guy’s/St Thomas’ staff members, which includes Evelina London Children’s Hospital are wearing the badge.
9 out of 10 badge wearers of the Trust said that they had received a positive response.
The badge has the NHS logo superimposed onto the rainbow pride emblem and can be worn as a lanyard or it is featured on NHS rainbow clothing. They promote inclusion and signify that they can be talked to about issues such as sexuality or gender identity.
When employees sign up for the badge, they are given information about how to help LGBT+ people access healthcare.
Stonewall discovered that one in seven LGBT+ respondents have avoided seeking medical treatment because of fear of discrimination. Nearly one in four LGBT+ respondents have also witnessed healthcare staff making discriminatory comments or remarks against LGBT+ individuals.
The Department of Health and Social Care and Strictly Come Dancing star, Dr Ranj (ex-Evelina London paediatrician), have backed the project.
Dr Ranj stated, “Young LGBT+ adults face greater complexity and greater challenges than their peers. As healthcare professionals, it is our responsibility to ensure their wellbeing. To do this, we must create an environment in which they feel secure, valued, and safe.
“Small gestures, such as these, mean so much to people that truly need it the most. And I am beyond proud that I have the opportunity to help to improve the culture and values within the Trust. Let’s do it across all of NHS.
Dr Michael Farquhar of Evelina London, the leader of the NHS Rainbow Badge Initiative and a sleep consultant, stated: “Since we started the pilot project at Evelina London last year, we’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm with which people have accepted the scheme. We created a toolkit that any NHS Trust can use to launch the scheme. This toolkit was released in February by the NHS Trusts of England and has been used by over 60% to introduce rainbow badges into their staff.
“Despite improvements in UK social attitudes, LGBT+ people face significant barriers when it comes to accessing health care. This can have a serious impact on your mental and physical well-being.
“Wearing a Rainbow NHS badge allows our staff to demonstrate that the NHS has an open, nonjudgmental and inclusive environment for LGBT+ peoples and their families. If they have any questions, we can listen and offer support.
“We are proud the rainbow NHS model badge is a part helping to address those issues. We look to build on what we have achieved and work with Dr Michael Brady, National Adviser for LGBT Health, and those delivering NHS England LGBT+ Action Plan, over this next year to continue being part the solution.”
Jayne King co-chairs the LGBT+ Forum at Guy’s, St Thomas’ NHS Trust Foundation Trust.
“NHS staff is in a unique position to advocate for and support LGBT+ people. The awareness of the problems LGBT+ people face in accessing healthcare can have a profound impact on their lives, and ultimately their physical and mental well-being.
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