30 September 2019
UH Bristol wearing NHS rainbow badges with pride
Since Wednesday 25 September, members of staff across University
Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust have been wearing NHS
rainbow badges as a way of demonstrating that UH Bristol is an
open, non-judgemental and inclusive environment for all identities,
no matter how people define themselves.
One in five LGBT+ people nationally are not out about
their sexual orientation to any healthcare professional according
to a 2018 Stonewall survey. This can make a significant difference
for patients, helping healthcare staff to best support all physical
and mental health needs.
Wearing the badges, which originated at Evelina London
Children's Hospital and have since been adopted at hospitals across
the UK, is a way of signalling that people can feel confident in
discussing LGBT+ issues with staff, and that they will be
signposted to the appropriate support if needed. In the week that
badges have been available, more than 1,000 pledges have been made,
and nearly 700 badges handed out to staff all across the Trust.
The badges have been funded by Above & Beyond, the official
UH Bristol hospitals charity and the launch has been led by the
LGBT+ forum - a forum for all staff to talk about diversity issues
and to promote inclusion across the Trust.
Matt Joint, director of people at UH Bristol said:
"As a Trust, we place a huge value on equality for both patients
and staff. One of our core values as a Trust is to respect
everyone, and I'm delighted that, thanks to the commitment of our
staff and support from Above & Beyond, we have been able to
support our LGBT+ forum in launching the NHS rainbow badges at UH
Bristol as a symbol of this.
"We understand and accept that equality is not just about
wearing a badge though, and we have plans in place to support all
of our staff, and to ensure that every person who comes through our
doors receives the highest quality of care, regardless of how they
identify."
Teresa Sullivan, workforce diversity and inclusion officer at UH
Bristol, added:
"I'm really pleased that we're able to introduce the scheme at UH
Bristol as a visible symbol of our commitment to building a culture
of equality and inclusion. A crucial part of the scheme is that it
requires positive sign-up from staff - committing to read
information which gives an overview of the issues and why it's
important for all healthcare staff to be aware of them. They're
more than just a badge; they're a commitment to our patients and to
each other that we are inclusive of all identities.
Amy Barnard-Smith, hospital partnerships manager at Above &
Beyond, said:
"Thanks to our generous supporters we have been able to fund these
rainbow badges for staff at UH Bristol hospitals.
"It's great to be able to help staff at the hospitals show their
alliance with people who identify as LGBT+ and show UH Bristol as
an open and inclusive environment."
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