June marks Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reflect on the ongoing journey towards equality. In the health and social care sector, Pride Month reminds us of the unique challenges LGBTQ+ individuals can face when accessing services and the importance of creating safe, affirming environments.

Understanding Gender, Sexuality, and Pronouns

• Gender: A social construct related to how someone identifies and expresses themselves. It can be different from the sex assigned at birth.
• Sexuality: Refers to who a person is attracted to romantically, emotionally, and sexually.
• Pronouns: Words used instead of someone’s name (e.g., he/him, she/her, they/them). Using a person’s correct pronouns is a sign of respect.

Creating a Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Individuals in Care

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) new single assessment framework emphasises person-centred care and compassionate support, aligning perfectly with the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. Here are key ways to implement this approach:

1. Ask and Respect Pronouns: Always ask what pronouns someone uses and respect their answer. This is a simple yet powerful way to acknowledge their identity.
2. Inclusive Language: Use inclusive language in all communications, forms, and documents. Avoid assumptions about sexual orientation or gender identity.
3. Confidentiality: Maintain strict confidentiality about a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation, unless they give explicit permission to share.
4. Staff Training: Provide comprehensive LGBTQ+ awareness training for all staff. This helps to build understanding and address any unconscious biases.
5. Zero Tolerance for Discrimination: Establish a zero-tolerance policy for any discriminatory behaviour towards LGBTQ+ individuals, both from staff and other service users.
6. Personalised Care Planning: When discussing sexuality in care planning, create a safe, non-judgmental space. Use open-ended questions, actively listen, and document preferences accurately. Refer to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulations for guidance on equality and diversity in care provision.

The CQC’s regulations and I Statements support these:

• Regulation 9: Person-Centred Care:
  • ‘I am in control of planning my care and support. If I need help with this, people who know and care about me are involved’.
  • ‘I have care and support that enables me to live as I want to, seeing me as a unique person with skills, strengths and goals’.
• Regulation 10: Dignity and Respect:
  • ‘I am treated with respect and dignity’.
• Regulation 11: Need for consent:
  • ‘I have care and support that is co-ordinated, and everyone works well together and with me’.
• Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment:
  • ‘I can get information and advice about my health, care and support and how I can be as well as possible – physically, mentally and emotionally’.

• Regulation 13: Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment:
  • ‘I feel safe and am supported to understand and manage any risks’.

Being familiar with the new I Statements under the new Single Assessment Framework will help services to align their standards with regulations; enabling health and social care providers to create an environment where all individuals, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, feel valued, respected, and safe to be their authentic selves.

Remember: Fostering inclusion is an ongoing process. Continuous learning, open dialogue, and a commitment to person-centred care are essential to creating a truly supportive health and social care sector for everyone.

To support services writing sexuality care plans we have provided some FREE guidance on our EShop which can be found here.