Setting the Pace: Enhancing Health Services for LGBT Communities

1. Setting the Pace: Improving Health Services for LGBT people Michail Sanidas NHS South West Christina Gray Bristol PCT

2. Introduction • New National Programme led by DH’s Equality and Human Rights Group • Challenging discrimination through innovative practice • Partnership between NHS, the community and other organisations

3. Core aims of the programme • To identify, test and implement world class best practice in equality and diversity resulting in: • Reduced Health Inequalities for service users • Work environments free from discrimination • Increased support to achieve Equality & Diversity legal obligations

4. Why is it needed? • Many excellent and successful initiatives have failed to strategically impact the national agenda • Dignity and respect are not embedded for patients or staff • Health Inequalities continue • Lack of system-wide change

5. National Scene • Six Strategic Health Authority regions in England • Two to Three Trusts in each region • Each Trust must undertake three local change ideas and three Core elements • All equality strands must be covered (age, disability, ethnic group, gender, religion and belief, gender identity and sexual orientation)

6. Local Change Ideas • Bristol PCT • Information and support of a paid male circumcision service. • LGB Awareness • Healthy living centre for deaf/ hard of hearing people • South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust • Health needs of Eastern European workers in Cornwall • Mental health well-being sessions for 11 to 16 year olds in Somerset • Health living sessions for male farmers in North Devon

7. Core Elements • Three 'core' elements: • Workforce • increase flexible work options, • reduce bullying and harassment, • recruit, develop and promote staff from under represented communities • improving and using "equality" data collections for both patients/service users and the workforce; and • improving the health status of Gypsies and Travellers.

8. Methodology • User involvement from the design stage • Creative & Innovative Interventions that test approaches • Spread & Sustainability through ‘Wave 2’ sites • Built in evidence based evaluation to measuring specified outcomes

9. External Support • International Faculty – specialist experts • Evaluator for each region • Programme Manager – facilitation, advice & support • Funding – for core/local projects, evaluation and local events

10. Example of a Pacesetters project Raising awareness of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual health issues among primary health care staff

11. Aim • To improve local NHS understanding of the needs of the local LGB community • To achieve better health outcomes for LGB people

12. Progress • Setting up a stakeholders reference group • Raising awareness of LGB issues among staff • Improving data collection • Communications campaign to publicise LGB resources • Develop awareness training for staff

13. Achievements to date • Commitment from all local NHS organisations • Presentations to Senior Management Teams / Boards of all NHS organisations • Department of Health Guidance widely circulated • Training delivered and well received

14. Next steps • Sign off and further development of local projects – stakeholder group will continue • Regional project looking at the needs of the transgender community • Importance of linking Pacesetters projects with the broader Equality and Human Rights agenda • Community engagement at regional and local level

15. Contact Details Michail Sanidas Michail.Sanidas@southwest.nhs.uk 01823 361258 / 07770 701470 Christina Gray Christina.Gray@bristolpct.nhs.uk 0117 9002489