As CTSG Visiting Professor, Prof Katherine Johnson (RMIT) has in collaboration with King’s College London, and community partners LGBT HERO, Consortium, and LGBT Foundation, produced a new LGBT+ Inclusive Communication Guide for health and social care professionals. This ABC guide, centring the voices of LGBT+ service users, aims to support the delivery of inclusive care by offering practical guidance for professionals to enable them to communicate in a way that is inclusive of LGBT+ people.

The ABC of LGBT+ Inclusive Communication Guide is available here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/nmpc/assets/research/projects/abc-lgbt-inclusive-communication.pdf

You can read more about the research underpinning the Guide here: https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2022/08/31/bmjqs-2022-014792

Dr Michael Brady, NHS England National Advisor for LGBT Health and Consultant in HIV and Sexual Health, welcomes the guide, remarking that:

“Our ability to connect, communicate, understand and empathise is fundamental to the quality of the care we provide. It builds confidence and trust, supports access and engagement in care, maximises the impact of health improvement messages, encourages better adherence to treatment and is important for improving both physical and mental health outcomes. … This evidence-based guide gives simple and practical tips that we can all use such as using neutral language, respecting and using the pronouns people use, being alert and sensitive to how patients behave and react, being aware of who is in the room with them and what their relationship with the patient is and ensuring we don’t make assumptions about sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Stonewall also welcomes the new LGBT+ Inclusive Communication Guide, highlighting that:

“One in seven LGBT+ people have avoided getting treatment for fear of discrimination”. And that “Placing LGBT+ patients at the heart of any guidance about them and their health is crucial if we are to create a truly inclusive future.”