LGBT+ History Month 2025

The NHS Confederation's Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network is pleased to be supporting two upcoming virtual events, hosted by NHS England’s LGBTQIA+ Staff Network. 

• Ageing in the LGBTQIA+ population 
  6 February 2025, 11:30am-12:30pm 

  Join this webinar and delve into the lives and experiences of middle-aged LGBTQ+ individuals – a pioneering generation that has lived openly and proudly.  As this demographic approaches their senior years, it’s imperative that the NHS recognises and prepares for their specific healthcare needs. 
  
  The session will explore this community’s distinct needs and the urgency of implementing changes within the NHS to accommodate and support them as they age. 

  Book your place    

• Transgender history (and why it matters to you!) 
  25 February 2025, 11am-12 noon 

  Join this session and explore trans histories and the importance of including these histories in conversations around the health, welfare, and rights of trans people today. 

  Meet individuals from across time and cultures who are arguably best understood through the lens and language of transness. The session will explore the challenges of relating historical frameworks of sex and gender to our own modern systems and discuss how histories must help shape the making of future policies. 
  
  Book your place  

If you have any queries about the events, you can contact NHS England at england.lgbtqia@nhs.net. 

The following resources focus on supporting LGBTQ+ leaders, aspiring leaders and allies across health and care:  

Blogs

• Meaningful change is needed to improve LGBTQ+ staff experience
  Mark Cubban, the new chair of the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network, calls on leaders to listen, reflect and take robust action to reduce inequalities and move beyond inclusivity being just a policy.
• The King’s Fund and LGBTQ+ inclusion: 'Yes, and?' 
  In this LGBT+ History Month blog find out what The King’s Fund has been doing to support inclusion and to become a Stonewall Top 100 Employer.
• What LGBTQ+ history tells us about healthcare staff today 
  In this blog for LGBT+ History Month, Dr Layla McCay, executive lead of the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network, reflects on LGBTQ+ inclusion,  past, present and future.
• The experiences of LGBTQ+ NHS staff
  Dr Layla McCay, shares her thoughts on the inequalities of experiences of LGBTQ+ people as reflected in the NHS Staff Survey. 

Guides, reports and tools

• Exploring LGBTQ+ staff experience in the NHS 
  This infographic explores the growing LGBTQ+ staff experience gap and the actions you can take to support staff in the NHS. Take a look at this infographic and download a PDF version to display in your organisation. 
• The illusion of inclusion? LGBTQ+ staff experience in healthcare 
  In the largest ever survey completed by the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network, members disclosed higher rates of direct or indirect homophobia and transphobia, compared to the NHS Staff Survey results. Access the survey results and actions you can take to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in your organisation.
• Inclusive leadership pledge 
  Over 1,200 leaders and aspiring leaders across health and care have signed our inclusive leadership pledge. The pledge includes nine behaviours you can adopt to model inclusive leadership. Find out more information and sign the pledge now. 
• Health and Care LGBTQ+ Inclusion Framework 
  The framework is built on six pillars to enable health and care leaders to ensure their working culture and services are LGBTQ+ inclusive.  
• Leading for All: Supporting Trans and Non-binary Healthcare Staff  The guide provides healthcare leaders with the information and tools to effectively support trans and non-binary staff and create an inclusive culture for all. 
• Supporting your LGBTQ+ workforce 
  Access tools, resources, and best practice to help you create a culture and environment that welcomes LGBTQ+ staff, allowing them to be themselves at work and to contribute fully to the wider organisation.  
• LGBTQ+ Patient Experience in Primary Care 
  Read an updated report from the LGBT Foundation which highlights the experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing primary healthcare, and steps to ensure that GP services are LGBTQ+ inclusive. 
• Sexual orientation and gender identity data 
  Take a look at The Office for National Statistics (ONS) census data around sexual orientation and gender identity data is a useful tool to support LGBTQ+ healthcare and a workforce that is inclusive and representative.  
• LGBTQ+ equality in medicine 
  Access a range of resources published by the BMA which explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ doctors and medical students in education, training and the workplace. 

Podcasts

• Being LGBTQ+ in the NHS 
  Listen to a special podcast, recorded at NHS ConfedExpo, featuring our executive lead, Dr Layla McCay, Dame Jackie Daniel and Steve Russell share their experiences of being LGBTQ+ in the NHS.
• LGBTQ+ Workforce Visibility 
  Seven LGBTQ+ mental health sector leaders share their journeys and reflections on being confident and visible in their identities, leading as their authentic selves, in this two-part podcast special.  

As part of LGBT+ History Month, we are keen to showcase some of the LGBTQ+ and ally trailblazers working in health and social care. 

Below is a list we would like to expand, please contact us and share insights on someone who has inspired you, raised awareness of LGBTQ+ health needs or raised the profile of LGBTQ+ people. 

You can also share on LinkedIn, tag the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network and use the hashtag #LGBTplusHM25. 

• Dr Hannah Barham-Brown – Hannah is a GP trainee, media spokesperson, activist for LGBTQ+ rights and has presented two TEDx talks. She has been named on the 2018 and 2019 Shaw Trust Power List as one of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK and has been named one of the Health Service Journal's 100 Most Influential People in Health 2020 and their Campaigner of the Year.
• Dr Cecil Belfield Clarke (1894-1970) – Dr Clarke was one of the first black doctors in the UK and established 'Clark's Rule' in paediatric medicine. This simple mathematical formula based on body mass allows doctors to safely calculate the dosage of medicine given to those aged between 2-17.
• Dr Michael Brady – Michael was made the first National LGBT Health Advisor at NHS England in 2019. He has played a key role in tackling differences in LGBTQ+ healthcare, including high profile campaigns for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the 'Can't pass it on' campaign.
• Christine Burns MBE – Christine is a British political activist known for her work with Press for Change, a key lobbying and legal support organisation for trans people in the UK. She fights for transgender rights, helped put together new employment legislation and the Gender Recognition Act, and wrote the first ever official guidance on trans health for the Department of Health and Social Care.
• Lord Michael Cashman – Lord Cashman is a former actor, member of the House of Lords, and founded LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall.
• Dr Michael Farquhar – Michael is a consultant in sleep medicine and was one of the originators of the NHS Rainbow Badge scheme, designed to promote inclusivity within the NHS. This has played a key role in raising awareness of the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and the importance of creating supportive environments where everyone can thrive.
• Dr Kevin Fenton CBE – Professor Kevin Fenton CBE is Regional Director for London in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, within the Department of Social Care. He is a senior public health expert, who has worked in a variety of roles across government and academia – with a remit of tackling health inequalities, urban health and infectious disease prevention. He was named the second most influential black Briton in 2021's Powerlist. 
• Dr Mags Portman – Mags was called a "pioneer within the sexual health sector". She advocated for access and usage of pre-exposure prophylaxis medication (PrEP) to reduce incidence of HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom. Portman has been attributed with preventing thousands of new HIV diagnoses through her work ensuring PrEP accessibility.
• Alan L. Hart (also known as Robert Allen Bamford Jr) – Alan was an American physician, radiologist, tuberculosis researcher, writer, and novelist. He was one of the first trans men to undergo hysterectomy in the United States. He pioneered the use of x-ray photography in tuberculosis detection and helped implement TB screening programs that saved thousands of lives.
• Dr Ronx Ikharia – Ronx is a self-made emergency medicine doctor and trailblazing activist, who describes themself as a queer, black, androgynous, intersectional feminist. They have appeared regularly on TV, presenting 'Operation Ouch' (CBBC), ' The truth about boosting your immune system' on BBC One and the acclaimed 'Is Covid racist?' on Channel 4.
• Tracy MyHill OBE – Tracy made an outstanding contribution to LGBT equality during her time in chief executive, deputy chief executive and HR director roles. She encouraged and inspired people to discuss LGBT issues within Swansea and Cardiff and Vale Health Boards and across the UK Ambulance Sector ensuring board level commitment and LGBT staff networks were actively involved in the decision-making processes.