NHS Lothian Children’s Services is delighted to announce that the service has passed the LGBT Charter at Foundation level.
The LGBT Charter is a national programme that supports organisations to continue to proactively include LGBTQ+ people in every aspect of their work, protecting their staff and providing a high-quality service.
This award formally acknowledges the commitment of Children’s Services to create an environment where patients and their visitors feel comfortable and respected by knowledgeable, sensitive and supportive staff, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity Youth Group is regularly asked about what they feel is important in respect to upholding and promoting all children and young people’s rights and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. They stress the importance of asking patients how they would like to be addressed and the LGBT Charter award has commended the Children’s Services commitment to listening and incorporating feedback.
In practice, this means staff take a sensible and age appropriate approach to ask generally how a patient prefers to be addressed, which may simply be a shortened version of their name; Victoria might become Vicky for example. It also extends to not just assuming the family member is mum or dad or that children come from a nuclear family. Staff may ask ‘how do you like to be called’ and ‘who is this with you today’.
Allister Short, Service Director, Women’s and Children’s, NHS Lothian, said: “We are really pleased to have been awarded the LGBT Charter. NHS Lothian Children’s Services endeavours to provide a safe, positive space for staff, patients and visitors and this award illustrates just how hard our teams have been working to ensure that our services continue to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone.
“It’s important to reflect on the progress we’ve made towards respecting children’s rights and being more inclusive, and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone working within NHS Lothian’s Children’s Services.”
An award presentation will take place later this month at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. To find out more about the LGBT Charter, please visit their website.
