As the largest employer in Europe, the NHS is at the forefront of promoting and advancing inclusion and equality for its LGBT staff and for patients - seven NHS trusts feature in this year's Stonewall Workplace Equality Top 100 Index.
To mark LGBT history month, a number of NHS organisations will run staff engagement events and activities to raise awareness of this strand of the diversity agenda.
Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust
- Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust is working with the Lesbian and Gay Foundation on a GP project designed to assure LGBT patients that they will be treated fairly and can discuss their issues openly with their GP or health care provider without fear of prejudice or discrimination.
- Building on its successful involvement in Liverpool Pride 2011, the trust is co-ordinating a planning meeting for local NHS organisations to discuss their involvement in Liverpool Pride 2012.
- For one week in February all of the trust's computer desktops will display information to promote LGBT history month and the pride in health LGBT staff network.
- Members of the pride in health staff network will coordinate a networking event.
NHS North West
- NHS North West and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation are building on the success of their GP surgeries project with the launch of a Pride in Practice benchmarking tool. The tool is designed to help GP practices promote excellence in healthcare for LGBT patients.
- NHS North West is also promoting the online version of its timeline exhibition which celebrates the history and contribution of LGBT people to medicine and healthcare through the ages. The timeline documents how medical views of sexual orientation and gender identity have altered over time and plots key landmarks.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
- Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is hosting a regional Stonewall seminar on sexual orientation and religion and belief in the workplace.
- The trust is hosting an LGBT writers exhibition and a coffee morning at Wathwood Hospital to positively promote the contribution of members of the LGBT community.
- The trust is attending several events across the Nottinghamshire area to promote and share best practice around LGBT health and workforce issues.
- The rainbow flag will be raised at Duncan Macmillan House (the trust's headquarters) and at Rampton Hospital.
If your trust is planning to promote LGBT history month you can share details with us by emailing equalityanddiversity@nhsemployers.org
More information, guidance and advice on LGBT issues is availableis available from our LGTB History Month 2012 web page.