- Conference
- 2025 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 6 December 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference celebrates the successful year of LGBT+ workers marked in UNISON by organising and campaigning events across the union. LGBT+ workers make up an integral part of the workforce in the Health service group, estimated to make up 1 in 20 NHS workers, and it is important to celebrate their contributions and ensure that their voices are heard across the union.
Conference also notes the continuing issues experienced by LGBT+ workers in the health sector, including continued discrimination. For example, a November 2022 survey by the BMA found that over a quarter of LGBT+ NHS staff had experienced discrimination in the workplace, rising to 59% of trans respondents. An August 2024 survey by the NHS Confederation’s Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network found that 25% of respondents had experienced homophobia or transphobia.
Conference also notes the continued strain on healthcare services for trans and gender diverse people. As the motion “Gender Identity Services and Trans Healthcare – Underfunding has now become a health and safety issue for our NHS members” noted at last year’s (2024) Health conference, long waiting times and underfunding of gender affirming health care place an intolerable strain on UNISON members delivering these services.
Conference believes that external political conflicts about provision of gender affirming services are damaging to the staff delivering them, and to other staff across the Health service group, who have to deal with the knock on effects of the underfunding of gender affirming care such as increased demand for already underfunded mental health services. A survey by mental health charity Stem4 in April 2022 found that half of GPs said that referrals of young people for mental health problems were more frequently rejected.
As healthcare is an essential site in which trans and gender diverse people engage with public services, it is vital that the staff delivering these services are well equipped to provide the best care possible.
Conference believes that both LGBT+ health staff and LGBT+ service users should feel welcome and included across health services nationally, and asks the Health Service Group Executive to:
1. Work with the National LGBT+ committee to identify the experiences of LGBT+ staff and campaign against homophobia and transphobia against staff across the service group;
2. Promote the year of LGBT+ workers resources to branches and members across the service group;
3. Encourage health branches and regional Health service group committees to organise UNISON’s Trans ally training to be offered locally to members;
4. Continue to campaign for adequate funding for the NHS, including funding for gender affirming services and mental health services.