Inscape LGBT

Prism is the Department of Health’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff group. The group provides support for all LGBT staff and their managers and promotes equal opportunities at all levels.

Prism also aims to influence policy development and implementation within the Health Service.

Providing a personalised and effective health service, geared towards the diverse needs of its patient base, Prism hopes to bring inequalities into the open and to redress them

Health Inequalities

Estimates suggest that 6% of the population of the UK is LGBT, while the figure is more like 10% in Greater London. All the health inequalities below are taken from the Department of Health’s Reducing health inequalities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people: Briefings for health and social care staff

• LGBT people are less likely to respond to preventative healthcare messages or to access routine health screening.
• Lesbian and Bisexual women are more likely to die from breast cancer but less likely to go for screening or to self-examine.
• Young LGBT people are four times more likely to suffer depression and three times more likely to be assessed with general anxiety disorder. Young gay and bisexual men are seven times more likely to have attempted suicide and three times more likely to have suicidal intent.
• The UK’s largest study of trans people found that 34% (more than one in three) of adult trans people have attempted suicide. Similar rates were found in a US study.
• LGBT people are significantly more likely to smoke and to have used a range of recreational drugs than heterosexual people. 25% of lesbians smoke, compared with 15% of heterosexual women.
• LGBT people are at greater risk of deliberate self-harm. Research suggests that deliberate self-harm may be linked to difficulties in being out in society or having experienced rejection from other people. Self-harm also seems to be associated being the victim of homophobic incidents.

In order to deliver effective health and social care services we need your input. If you wish to provide us feedback please contact us.

Grant for Change

The Department of Health is to commit £100,000 a year for the next three years to begin changing the culture of the NHS and Social Care. Part of the work would involve establishing and coordinating staff netowrks across the NHS and Social Care.