GP chair champions LGB standard
Released 16/02/2012
Leading GP backs Pride in Practice, the new standard of excellence in treating lesbian, gay and bisexual patients in general practice
Paul Martin OBE, chief executive of the Lesbian and Gay Foundation, at yesterday's launch
The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Dr Clare Gerada MBE, has backed Pride in Practice - a new patient standard for excellence in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) healthcare from NHS North West and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation.
Dr Gerada, speaking at the Pride in Practice launch, said she "was disappointed to read that one in 10 LGB&T individuals have avoided using public services for fear of homophobia".
She welcomed the Pride in Practice benchmarking toolkit as a way to challenge these health inequalities faced by lesbian, gay and bisexual patients.
Dr Gerada said: "The Pride in Practice toolkit is music to my ears. It's so important that we raise awareness of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues and debunk myths. It's well written, full of useful information and simple and important messages, especially around lesbian and bisexual women's risk of cervical cancer."
Dr Gerada referenced her experience of working with lesbian, gay and bisexual communities - she currently works as a GP in Vauxhall, which has the largest gay community in London outside of Soho, and she also drew attention to the existence of homophobia and biphobia within healthcare.
"There has been great change, but still younger GPs worry about asking people about their sexual orientation," she said.
"We must work together to address homophobia and biphobia in general practices as part of the journey to make healthcare better, for those patients who at the moment are not receiving optimum care.
"There's a long way to go, but I'm optimistic for the future and Pride in Practice is a fantastic start. I'm committed to taking excellence in LGB healthcare forward and keeping it on the agenda."
To find out more or to register for Pride in Practice, click here.
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