NHS rainbow badges

No problem Birds.

Oops sorry. Empress

Sorry, that’s pretty much what you posted, 2rebecca .

Not only that, 2rebecca, but that patients themselves ate expected to know which colour corresponds with what.

I had no idea what the purple lanyard means, but if I had suffered sexual abuse I wouldn’t expect to have to seek out a particular HCP to ensure I was treated with compassion and respect.

Shouldn't everyone working in the NHS be offering a high standard of care to people disclosing or needing treatment for sexual abuse? I had no idea purple stood for that. It does imply those not wearing ribbons are less empathetic.
It is getting a bit silly when patients are expected to not only get an appointment with a health care professional who can deal with their particular problem but also make sure they are wearing the right coloured ribbon.

Rather disturbing that people in caring roles have such a me me me view of the matter

I think Empress was agreeing with you and pointing out that those HCPs hadn't read the thread, Birds

Yes, this. Thanks Eresh. Sorry for not being clearer Birds, I was agreeing with you! I think those HCPs are just responding to the first post and missing the part about how badly the rainbow affects a lot of women.

I think Empress was agreeing with you and pointing out that those HCPs hadn't read the thread, Birds

Empress if you rtfs you will see I have commented throughout. Which bit is my comment did you disagree with? Do you deny their are HCP who are saying “I also work for the NHS and have a rainbow lanyard - no one made me wear it, I wanted to. If you don't agree or have reservations then just don't have one”

To the poster who suggested a purple ribbon, this is a fantastic suggestion, I work in sexual health and could be fantastic for our patients who have experienced sexual assault/ abuse, I’m taking that straight to my manager come Monday

RTFT syndrome, Birds.

Philosophy

There seems to be quite a number of HCPs who have come onto this thread and completely ignored the comments from potential patients of theirs saying they feel excluded/uncomfortable about Rainbow lanyards and the use of political slogans in the nhs. Instead they have responded with “well I like it and I don’t care about anyone else’s view” which seems to perfectly sum up the ‘rainbow philisophy’.

@DuMondeB I didn't say I worked with patients. My point still stands, it's completely up to the individual - the NHS isn't forcing anyone to wear them.

I'm an HCA, I'm not wearing a rainbow badge firstly because, well I couldn't be bothered to go all the way to the main entrance from our ward to get one!

Most importantly though because I feel I'm a nice tolerant person who is trying to be as un-prejudiced as possible & I don't feel I need a badge or a patronising certificate to 'prove' that I can treat my patients as equals or to 'show' that I'm a friend to LGBTQ's etc.

The HCPs I know who are gay & trans know I'm happy to be their colleague, & any gay & trans patients should know from my actual uniform & demeanour to expect good treatment.

I've only cared for 1 trans patient that I've been aware of in 18 years of frontline caring. She (there was no way you could tell she'd once been male) was in a side room because she was sadly dying.

But I have several trans colleagues who I see facing nasty verbal abuse regularly to their face or behind their backs from patients and staff. I always call out nasty behaviour whoever it's directed at.

I don't really know what my views are on the trans issue regarding self Id but I don't agree with individuals getting abuse.
Again, I don't need to wear a special badge to show that I will call out abusive behaviour.

Thanks for clarifying.

Also this: As a hospital mum who pretty much lives on the kiddy oncology ward, I would struggle to trust you (I see the awful side effects of cancer drugs and am very worried about adults who think it ok to give otherwise healthy kids powerful drugs to block puberty).

Stonewall / Pride / Mermaids all push for gender nonconforming kids (many of whom would have otherwise grown up gay) to be put on puberty blockers, aka drugs like Lupron, whose effects are described here:
www.nwhn.org/lupron-what-does-it-do-to-womens-health/. That’s something else the rainbow symbolises to us. Child gay conversion therapy through drugging & later surgery, resulting in sterility & all the other lovely side effects.

Hearts in the right place - but where are their brains?

Sorry yes force of habit.

Px being NHS-speak for patients?

The Internet says Px in a medical context is "prognosis" and "patient experience", so if it is "patient" in the NHS, it's unique to the NHS.

Px being NHS-speak for patients?

A lanyard should not be needed as people should be neutral at work.

This, exactly.

There are nine protected characteristics in the EA2010 and I am legally and professionally required to consider all nine of them in my job. As I said upthread, my lanyard that says "staff" should be sufficient indication that I will do that. I don't do so reluctantly either, I could get a job doing something else if I didn't want to be bound by the rules of the my profession or didn't want the legal duties that come as part of working for a university.

The lanyards are not for practitioners benefit tho they are for the benefit of pxs and all px needs should be considered equally. I personally wouldn't have a problem as I think most people wearing them would have the best of intentions, but there are some people who (as evidenced on this board) would be uncomfortable and their feelings as potential pxs should also be taken into account therefore by wearing them although you are making some px feel more comfortable (which I am sure you could convey equally well with your actions and care) you are inadvertently causing discomfort to other px.

I also work for the NHS and have a rainbow lanyard - no one made me wear it, I wanted to. If you don't agree or have reservations then just don't have one

Do you not worry that some patients will see it and assume you are intolerant of their religious views? Or that you know about the current issues lesbians are having at the hands of stonewall but don’t give a fuck?

As a hospital mum who pretty much lives on the kiddy oncology ward, I would struggle to trust you (I see the awful side effects of cancer drugs and am very worried about adults who think it ok to give otherwise healthy kids powerful drugs to block puberty).

Granted the rainbow is overused and commercialized now which personally I don’t agree with but homophobic I think not.

I’m with Fekko’s gay sister & her friends on this. Stonewall, Pride, the rainbow - as a lesbian, I now view actively avoid all of them because they have shown themselves to me as hostile & homophobic.

Wow what a lot of hate and anger

Where's the hate? The only anger has been mine, when I've talked about how retraumatising smear tests are.

on here towards a well meaning campaign

Intent isn't magic and so-called "progressives" are the first to remind the rest of us of that. You can be as well-meaning as you like, but it's the outcome that matters. And the outcome is lesbians, bisexual women, and victims of sexual violence feeling less able to ask for female HCPs because of the TWAW orthodoxy associated with the rainbow.

No wonder research shows LGBT people are reticent in their approach to healthcare and have high levels of mental health issues.

Research also shows that around a quarter of women routinely skip their smear tests. The researchers failed to ask whether sexual violence history was a motive and so we don't know how many women skip their smear because they are SV victims. We do know that a fifth of sexual sexual abuse victims NEVER attend a smear test. Research shows that SV victims are more prone to suicide, self-harm, and depression. Where are the lanyards and pledges for sexual violence victims? SV victims massively outnumber LGBT people and many LGBT are SV victims as well, so utilitarian ethics ("do the most good for the most people first") suggests that sexual violence training and pledges and lanyards should be a higher priority than LGBT ones.

Would it be better to do nothing about issues facing this community?

Your question is predicated on the untrue assertion that we can better serve LGBT people or women, not both. Lesbians, bisexual women, and transmen are all female and LGBT and would benefit from being able to request a female HCP who was trained to handle sexual violence disclosures in a helpful way.

Surely a step in the right direction for all minorities who face discrimination

As usual "all minorities" excludes cunt-having women who've been raped or molested, because apparently we don't count.