LGBTQ+ Community Consultation 2018-19

Southwark is anecdotally known for having a significant LGBTQ+ population. The Southwark LGBT Network partnered with Healthwatch Southwark to investigate the lived experiences of the LGBTQ+ community of health and social care. The research was community led.

The survey was launched in on 4 July 2018 and kept open until 31 October 2018. In total, 210 responses were received.

79% of the respondents identified as gay or lesbian, 11% as bisexual and 8% as ‘queer’, ‘pansexual’ or ‘panromantic’.

90% of the respondents identified as cisgender, and 9% stated that their gender identity was different to the one assigned to them at birth.

All respondents lived (89%), worked (30%), and/or socialised (40%) in Southwark.

55% of respondents felt that their experience of healthcare could be improved. The majority were either unsure whether mainstream health services or sexual health services were appropriate for LGBTQ+ people, or felt they were not appropriate.

71% of respondents stated that there should be LGBTQ+ specific services and 82% were not aware of any LGBTQ+ specific healthcare services in Southwark.

There were also findings about socialising, community safety and being able to be open about sexuality and gender identity

Draft recommendations

1. Under the Equality Duty 2010, all health and social care providers must provide comprehensive training to staff on inclusive care. This training should include the prevention of homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic discrimination.

2. There should be further collaborative work with LGBTQ+ patients to define what they understand to make a service LGBTQ+ friendly. This could be incorporated into staff training, potentially delivered in partnership with patients themselves.

3. Services should continue to promote and publicise schemes such as the rainbow lanyard to identify staff who champion equality and respect for LGBTQ+ patients.

4. Patient medical records should have a marker that highlights protected characteristics, which should be easily seen and reviewed before each consultation. This should include non-binary options for gender identity.

5. Recording of patients’ personal gender and sexuality characteristics should be consistent, and used to identify variance in patient experiences and treatment outcomes so that these may be addressed at all levels.

6. Existing LGBT+ specific services are not well known and would benefit from greater promotion, particularly online and via social media, with input and support from the LGBTQ+ community. In particular, there should be increased promotion of Trans-specific services in the borough.

7. Southwark Council should undertake a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for the LGBTQ+ people of the borough. This should include the experiences of further minorities within the LGBTQ+ communities, including specific gender identities and sexualities, older, disabled and BAME people. Topics of social isolation and loneliness could also be considered.

8. The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment should then form a point of reference for future service developments

9. The findings of this report should be considered as part of the new Southwark Loneliness Strategy and in assessments of the needs of carers.

10. Particularly for sexual health and mental health, and when responding to inequalities highlighted in improving service data, commissioners should be mindful of the fact that 71% of respondents to this survey felt there was a need for LGBTQ+ specific services.

11. Updates are sought around current provision of further/refresher training and guidance on good practice in topics such as gender transition, PReP, fertility options and rights, and LGBTQ+ specific sexual and mental health concerns.

12. Organisations providing support to the local LGBTQ+ community should collaborate to ensure that accurate information about their services is collated and promoted amongst health and social care providers and commissioners, particularly as social prescribing develops in the borough.

There were also recommendations directed to the police and the council