Here at Nightingales Golden Care, we are dedicated to providing LGBTQ+ inclusive and person-centred care and support.
A fully inclusive service is one that can be accessed and successfully completed by all its users. People should be able to interact however they need to, regardless of their personal characteristics, situations, capabilities or access need.
We use the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning individuals) acronym or initials in recognition that everyone has a right to identify themselves and that people will use a variety of terms and labels to describe and express their identities.
We also recognise that people can also hold multiple identities from the LGBTQ+ acronym (e.g. trans and bisexual, non-binary and pansexual), and identities can also change over time.
Inclusive care means that as health care providers we are committed to making the necessary changes to our practice to make their services more accessible.
Equitable access means ensuring that people have access to the services and resources necessary to achieve their full potential.
We welcome suggestions from staff and service users about how we can improve the service and the experience of working within the service for LGBTQ+ people.
Sources of further guidance:
LGBTQ Histories Source: A Short History of LGBT Rights in the UK – The British Library (bl.uk). British Library LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide Source: https://guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies
History of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK Source: https://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/news/history-of-lgbtq-rights-in-the-uk/1750
50 years of PRIDE Source: Archive on 4 – Fifty Years of Pride – BBC Sounds Conversation between Jeffrey Weeks and Liz Barker for Pride Month Source: Conversation between Jeffrey Weeks and Liz Barker for Pride Month – YouTube Interview for UK Black Pride with Jeffrey Source: Opening Doors
Why Bisexual people feel excluded from work, life and love Source: https://www.ginabattye.com/why-bisexual-people-feel-excluded-from-work-life-and-love/
‘Our authentic selves’ A guide for dignity and choice for Trans and gender diverse people accessing aged care services. Including non-binary people: guidance for service providers and employers Source: https://www.scottishtrans.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Non-binary-guidance.pdf Trans Scotland
Our Story, Our History: LGBTQ+ legislation Source: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/resources/your-story-our-history-lgbt-legislation
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBT+ Communities video. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpZpOPgAnE0
Never Too Late To Come Out As Transgender: Heartfelt Stories including how people navigated the NHS Source: Never Too Late To Come Out As Transgender: Heartfelt Stories – YouTube
Not ‘just’ a friend best practice guidance on health care for lesbian, gay and bisexual service users and their families. Source: Royal College of Nursing and UNISON. https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/media/256049/ nhsggc_equalities__not_just_a_friend.pdf
