We were delighted to receive an official response from University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust to the Trans report that we published with our local Healthwatch in June 2018. The full report can be found here.
Writing a letter on behalf of the Trust to local Healthwatch, Sam Chapman, who is the Chair of the Trust Equality and Diversity group, and Hayley Long from the Patient Inclusion and Diversity Group, where the following was stated:
“The Trust welcomes the report and acknowledges the extensive work undertaken by The Diversity Trust and local Healthwatch organisations to identify the health, care and wellbeing needs of Trans and Non-Binary people. The report’s focus on health inequalities and discrimination, with the aim of improving access to health, care and wellbeing for local Trans and Non-Binary people and communities, reflects our own commitment to continually improve access to our services and offer a fair and safe working environment for all.”
The Trust have highlighted an ongoing commitment to review current equality and training policies to incorporate Trans Awareness. This will also include correct use of pronouns and challenging transphobia. The Trust’s full response can be found here Final_response_October2018.
Healthwatch Bristol Manager, Sarah Ambe said, “We welcome the Trust’s commitment to improving the quality and diversity of their staff training, with a view to reducing prejudice and health inequalities for Trans people. We were happy to work with The Diversity Trust and our colleagues across the other five Healthwatch to capture the views of Trans people in the area. We are pleased that due to our input, the Trust has responded in such a positive way. We will continue to work with the Trust to support the implementation of the training and knowledge awareness of staff and volunteers. This is still very much a work in progress, and we also hope that the University Hospitals Bristol’s initiative will also have an impact on the Equality and Diversity training of other NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Group partners.”
“We are delighted that University Hospitals Bristol have welcomed our report with Healthwatch. We have been campaigning for improvements in health outcomes for LGBT+ people across our region for many years, and we will continue to seek ways to work with others to improve the health and wellbeing of local LGBT+ communities. University Hospitals Bristol play an important part in ensuring Trans and Non Binary patients and staff are treated with dignity and respect and they are making an important contribution in tackling the health inequalities many Trans and Non Binary people experience.” Berkeley Wilde, Director, The Diversity Trust CIC
For more information visit Healthwatch Bristol.