Hospital gains trust with staff and patients, whatever their sexuality

THIS time last year, an employee survey at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust revealed a concerning trend in the feelings of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) staff. With similar patterns seen in other protected groups – including staff from ethnic minorities and those with disabilities – the responses of LGBT employees suggested the experiences they were having at work differed to those of their straight colleagues.

Key issues for the LGBT community included feeling less able to talk openly about their personal lives, feeling other staff made comments indicative of a lack of understanding of sexuality issues, and some feeling they faced an oppressive working environment. Figures also suggested they were less likely to win promotions and more likely to be involved in disciplinary processes – something the trust is now investigating.

This sparked action within the organisation which runs Furness General Hospital, which in May was named one of the country’s 22 Diversity and Inclusion Partners for a second time. In June, its Corporate Team for Inclusion was named ‘Inclusive Team of the Year’ by NHS Employers.

Karmini McCann, the trust’s workforce business partner, said: “We’ve really started to look at improving patient experience for different groups, particularly trying to talk about difference, embrace difference, and celebrate and utilise the diversity of our workforce.

“Unless we really understand employee and patient experience in different groups we’re never going to be able to do that successfully. So we then explored with some LGBT staff, on an informal basis, what we could do to support that group and to use our staff who are experts in certain areas to help us improve.”

As a result of those discussions, the trust’s LGBT staff network was set up six months ago. They have begun raising awareness around their hospitals that they are there to support staff and patients, to encourage openness and to give employees confidence in sharing with each other.

One network member is Catherine Little, a clinical supporter worker on Ward 4 at FGH.

She said: “I’ve been out since I was 15 and I’ve always just thought, ‘I’ll just live my life as normal, I don’t need a big thing about it’, but I think there are people out there who struggle.

“The survey shocked me, because I’ve never had an issue, it’s all been positive for me. If anything, people want to know more about me and I’m happy to share.”

Miss Little welcomed the diversity of the new network, which includes employees who are not themselves members of the wider LGBT community. She added: “It’s just about being there for people if they are having issues and are too scared to speak up. If they’re going through negativity we’re there to support them, provide a shoulder to cry on, answer questions and point them in the right direction to people who can help them further.

“It’s so important, whether someone is gay, disabled, from an ethnic minority – anybody – to make sure everybody feels protected.”

While for now the network is largely a support mechanism for staff, patients and members of the community, the group knows the future will involve greater challenges. One key piece of work will be the development of a trust-wide transgender policy, combined with a staff training initiative, to help employees provide the best possible care for their patients.

Lynne Wyre, UHMBT deputy chief nurse with responsibility for FGH, said: “There is a lack of awareness about transgender communities within the trust and actually, when we asked clinical staff what they’d worry about most in terms of being sure whether they were meeting the needs of others, it was about this group.

“It isn’t going to be easy, but I think if staff are equipped with the right information and the skills they need to feel more comfortable in their conversations and in handling issues that arise, they will be able to make the best decisions for their patients.

“I’ve been doing some engagement with the transgender communities around experiences they’ve had when accessing our services, and whether they would feel comfortable being out and discussing their needs with their caring team. It’s been a really steep learning curve, and it’s been a really interesting process.”

The LGBT network will also lead the way in preparing for the future needs of patients on the trust’s hospital wards. UHMBT case manager Andy Crundell, the network’s lead, has worked for the trust for almost 20 years and has never had a negative experience relating to his sexuality.

He is determined, however, to continue ensuring the trust’s service is fully inclusive and effective.

Mr Crundell said: “The population that is out is much larger than it was in the past. The health service is going to be much more involved in the care of these communities as they get older, and we need to make sure we’re in the right place to support these people now and in the future.

“We want staff to be aware that will be happening, for people to be comfortable and to know what challenges that may present. People who are LGBT may not have the same family networks and support that older people may have had previously, there are a lot of issues around next of kin and whether that falls to civil partners, or people may be estranged from their families for reasons because of their sexuality.

“There are going to be a lot of new issues that we might not be quite as aware of yet. It’s only through having networks like this one that we can be aware of those and start flagging them up now, so that we can start to prepare and be ready for our future as an NHS.”