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Original poster

The NHS thinks that sexual orientation is about being transgender

37 replies

FOIrequester · 10/01/2020 12:41

That's the conclusion I have come to after reading the document they supplied in response to my FOI request for the Equality Impact Assessment for their 'Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation' policy.

They list each of the protected characteristics and how they think they will be affected by the policy. This is what they say about sexual orientation (my bold):

5.9. Sexual orientation– Significant as this is the reason the guidance exists.
a) Does the equality group face discrimination in this work area?
The guidance in this area is not new, it is clear on the legal position of trans patients in line with the Equalities Act 2010 and provides advice to staff on accommodating patients. The guidance exists to ensure all patients are treated in a way that protects their privacy and dignity.

pdf version can be downloaded from here:
www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/equality_impact_assessment_for_d_2#incoming-1488421

OP posts:
Manderleyagain · 11/01/2020 11:59

None of this is reassuring at all.

Original poster
FOIrequester · 11/01/2020 11:37

Are you on Twitter? Sonia Poulton, Janice Turner, Joani Walsh might pick this up.

I'm not, but if anyone who is wants to get this out to them, these are the links:

FOI request asking for the Equality Impact Assessment for their Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation guidance:
www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/equality_impact_assessment_for_d_2

NHS "Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation" guidance:
improvement.nhs.uk/documents/6005/Delivering_same_sex_accommodation_sep2019.pdf

Equality Impact Assessment:
www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/608694/response/1488421/attach/4/Equality%20and%20Health%20Inequalities%20Full%20Analysis%20Form%20Redacted.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Something that is quite odd about the front page of the EIA is that it appears to say draft on it, and all the pages have a faint green line through them. That's not what I'd expect from a completed official document, so it looks as though they have sent me an early draft rather than the final document.

OP posts:
HandsOffMyRights · 11/01/2020 11:11

Are you on Twitter? Sonia Poulton, Janice Turner, Joani Walsh might pick this up.

Original poster
FOIrequester · 11/01/2020 10:56

This needs to get out to serious journalists!

Any ideas about how to do this?

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anotherFOIrequester · 11/01/2020 10:14

This is shocking - as you say I'm just astonished that someone who doesn't understand the term "sexual orientation" was given the task of writing an Equality Impact Assessment.

An EIA is currently being done for the forthcoming Bristol/Glos/Som/Devon NHS trans guidance (cost - just under 7k) - I really hope this is not the standard to expect.

MoleSmokes · 11/01/2020 02:48

Bloody Nora!!!

FOIrequester this beats "the dog that ate my homework" Welsh Equality Impact Assessment that you rooted out!

This is "the dog vomited all over the NHS Same-sex Accommodation Equality Impact Assessment" !

This needs to get out to serious journalists!

Original poster
FOIrequester · 10/01/2020 20:16

I'm just astonished that someone who doesn't understand the term "sexual orientation" was given the task of writing an Equality Impact Assessment. Also that nobody else involved in the publication of this document actually read it and noticed the error (I assume these sort of documents are written by committee rather than being the work of one single person).

Here's what they say about gender reassignment.

5.3. Gender reassignment– Significant given the subject matter of the guidance.
a) Does the equality group face discrimination in this work area?
The guidance in this area is not new, it is clear on the legal position of trans patients under the Equalities Act 2010 and provides advice to staff on accommodating patients. The guidance is clear that in situations where sensitivity towards trans patients occurs on a ward there may be some circumstances where it is lawful to provide a different service or exclude a trans person from a single sex ward of their preferred gender but only if this is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

So they understand that gender reassignment is about transgender people, but they think sexual orientation is the same thing. And they think the reason the guidance was written was for the protected characteristics of sex and sexual orientation, but it is only 'significant' regarding gender reassignment.

But maybe that's it, that they think lesbians can have penises and that gender reassignment only covers people who have had genital surgery. That would explain it (I think).

OP posts:
NonnyMouse1337 · 10/01/2020 19:36

Maybe some hapless member of staff was chucked onto a Stonewall course and bamboozled with all sorts of terms and acronyms about demi boys and skoliosexuals and agenders and told that every time you question gender ideology, someone somewhere gets hurt - badly!! Oh and lesbians can have penises.
Then they had to fill out an impact assessment and couldn't quite remember all the details of these new fangled sexual orientations.

justcly · 10/01/2020 18:33

That should have read "God bless 'em". I don't think She'd be up for blessing me. Pretty sure I'm on the Naughty List. Grin

justcly · 10/01/2020 18:31

Can I just big up Tameside General Hospital. Over in Manchester because my aunt is in there and she doesn't have any immediate family. So, loos - male, female, male disabled, female disabled. God bless 'me. I wonder how long they'll hold out?

FrogsFrogs · 10/01/2020 16:58

Well that doesn't make any sense at all!

Original poster
FOIrequester · 10/01/2020 12:54

They also don't realise that the protected characteristic is "sex" not "sex or gender".

5.8. Sex or gender – Significant as this is the reason the guidance exists.

OP posts: