The programme, produced by the LGBT Foundation and funded by the Government Equalities Office, trains GPs and staff in primary care organisations to fully support LGBT patients.
PiP trains practitioners to meet the needs of their LGBT patients, from making a practice more welcoming to ensuring that patients are addressed in an appropriate way.
Armley Medical Practice was praised for being the first practice in Leeds to receive the Gold award, demonstrating a real commitment to providing excellent and appropriate care to their LGBT patients.
As part of the LGBT Action Plan, the Government Equalities Office launched a £1m health grant scheme to fund projects to ensure LGBT people get the right healthcare support.
Minister for Equalities, Baroness Williams, said:
"It is vital that LGBT people are able to access appropriate healthcare and are treated with respect.
"I would like to congratulate Armley Medical Practice on achieving the Gold Award for the Pride in Practice programme, showing a real commitment to ensuring they serve LGBT people in a supportive and respectful manner."
Pride in Practice was originally developed in Manchester, and has been delivered to 398 primary care services since 2016. The GEO has funded the LGBT Foundation to pilot the scheme in NHS GP practices, dentists, pharmacies and optometrists outside of Manchester in London and more rural areas of England.
Background:
The Pride in Practice scheme includes:
- Access to training around LGBT inclusion, which provides information on how to provide appropriate services to LGBT people, support around Sexual Orientation and Trans Status Monitoring, myth busting, and confidence building with staff around terminology and appropriate language.
- Support to deliver effective active signposting and social prescribing for LGBT communities, linking services with a range of LGBT-affirmative local community assets to facilitate holistic approaches to care.
- Ongoing support from a dedicated Account Manager providing consultancy and support on a range of topics based on the needs of the service, identified through the supported assessment.
- Community Leaders volunteers who provide insight and lived experience to ensure patient voice, influence and greater public involvement.
- LGBT patient insight so that services can be proactive about meeting LGBT patients' needs (i.e. access to research, focus group data and case studies sharing best practice), via involvement of Community Leader volunteers who we will support to ensure increased patient and public involvement in the programme.
- Practical support, guidance and confidence building for staff members on how to implement the Sexual Orientation Monitoring Information Standard.
- An accreditation award, including a wall plaque and Pride in Practice logos for letterheads and websites. This enables primary care services to promote their equality credentials, and demonstrates their commitment to ensuring a fully inclusive, patient-centred service. Awards are graded Bronze, Silver or Gold depending on assessment results. Assessments are carried out with the support of a dedicated Account Manager.
