NHS badges

From the response to the FOI request in the link: “ It is important to note that the NHS continues to face unprecedented challenges associated with the coronavirus pandemic. While we will make every effort to respond to your request within 20 working days, our staff remain focused on supporting patient care and restoring vital healthcare services. Staff availability for information rights work will remain limited for some time. It will not be possible for us to process large requests for information that require an unreasonable level of staff resources to complete. If you would like to revise your request please let us know by emailing us.”

We might not respond to your FOI request if it takes too many resources, but we have infinite amounts of time and money to spend on rainbow re-education for our staff.

The steering group said the new badges should not be distributed for “purely aesthetic purposes” and it was agreed that staff would have to make a pledge before they got one. They would have to agree to “use inclusive language and respect identity”, “be a friendly, listening ally who staff and service users can safely approach”, and “be aware of, and responsive to, issues faced by LGBTQ+ people accessing care”.

As commenters below the article pointed out, that could lead to a sinister division as people without a badge would have either failed the test to get a badge or not bothered or refused to take it, and labelled not LGBT friendly.

Peter Tatchellll_, the gay rights campaigner, said that the LGBT community had been “robbed” and called on the health service to create its own symbol. “To adopt the same six-colour LGBTQ rainbow flag for the NHS looks like blatant cultural appropriation,” he said.^

NHS Scotland pride badges, which started being issued last month, feature black, brown, pink, light blue and white stripes to represent trans people and people of colour.

Any updates on this?

Time we took back the NHS brick by brick

There is an article in the Scotland section of the Times today about the minutes of the NHS Scotland rainbow badge steering committee, in which people said the NHS had "appropriated" the rainbow.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a78f0102-e9a3-11eb-baaa-861dba20d87a?shareToken=160fced1a24aa4d409e6e3c54664e063

How much for the Scottish ‘pronouns’ one (which was pretty sinister to be honest).

£70k? Aye and the rest... how many ‘schemes’ have they paid to join, how much training (and staff hours used doing this), what has been missed out due to the ££ and hours used up with this?

Amazing how the cash strapped, never enough money, staff worked to distraction, not enough staff NHS can easily find money, staff and time for the demands of Stonewall membership and Rainbow Schemes. I bet patients are absolutely thrilled to know how the money, time or staff that could improve their care is being diverted.

So that's £70,000 that NHS England put up for the project, and individual trust spending several thousand a year on related items.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/costoffnhsrainbowwbadgescheme#describeestateformm1

Just resurrecting this thread to link a couple of FOIs I have noticed regarding the expense of the NHS Rainbow badge scheme.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/costoffthenhssrainbowbadgee_pr?nocache=incoming-1836215#incoming-1836215

Surely it would be better to stick with the existing DSD line that we are all normal, but some of us have some differences - those do not define our internal sence of gender!

I'm sorry for the insensitivity of that toolkit.

When are SW and their supporters take heed of the community that repeatedly asks not to be drawn into this? I thought Clare's point was well made that this sort of appropriation can (inadvertently?) strip funding from the actual groups/communities that support people living with DSD.

The appropriation of DSD is disgraceful and as a parent you must find it enraging @Iamhangingin You have my great sympathy.

Repeated requests not to be included or used as some sort of gotcha are ignored and the accompanying ignorance, implying it proves sex is on a spectrum etc is beyond dispiriting.

I hope puberty and ongoing treatment goes well for your child.

The DSD appropriation is shocking.

Also, I doubt any BAME groups were consulted on including minority ethnic (not just LGBT ME but all ME).

Nothing in info from Stonewall or gov has any bearing on needs of minority ethnic people or healthcare inequalities. It seems insulting and opportunistic.

[quote Iamhangingin]I just saw the rather creepy NHS Scotland YouTube video about the rainbow badges - and + includes intersex.

I use NHS Scotlands DSD services (I'm saying that in the broadest sense). My child is going through puberty now so I'm absolutely dreading him going to check ups/needing surgery because it will be so distressing for him, he's naturally very private about his private bits.

I am going to email the Scotland DSD - I don't know if that will make any difference. But you're got a clinical area of the NHS calling these conditions DSD, patient info assuring parents/teens you are totally normal girls and boys and another area saying you're intersex, subject to discrimination (I can't see any evidence of that appart from TRAs appropriating intersex), and part of a gender/sexualities group. I'm not sure if I'm really upset or mad but honestly I just wish they would take a moment to consider the implications of their "ally" status. Surely it would be better to stick with the existing DSD line that we are all normal, but some of us have some differences - those do not define our internal sence of gender!

www.sdsd.scot.nhs.uk/[/quote]
Oh gosh. That’s not good at all

Yes get in touch with them and see if they can help

Given the association with Stonewall, my honest interpretation of the badge would be ‘this member of staff has been inadequately briefed on equality law and may be making incorrect assumptions’.

Many with DSD are really angry with SW highjacking their issues. Without DSD, they have no way of arguing gender, even though DSD has nothing to do with gender. They have shown no empathy at all and believe their cause trumps all. They have become so entrenched that even the complaints are falling on deaf ears. Lamhan

I just saw the rather creepy NHS Scotland YouTube video about the rainbow badges - and + includes intersex.

I use NHS Scotlands DSD services (I'm saying that in the broadest sense). My child is going through puberty now so I'm absolutely dreading him going to check ups/needing surgery because it will be so distressing for him, he's naturally very private about his private bits.

I am going to email the Scotland DSD - I don't know if that will make any difference. But you're got a clinical area of the NHS calling these conditions DSD, patient info assuring parents/teens you are totally normal girls and boys and another area saying you're intersex, subject to discrimination (I can't see any evidence of that appart from TRAs appropriating intersex), and part of a gender/sexualities group. I'm not sure if I'm really upset or mad but honestly I just wish they would take a moment to consider the implications of their "ally" status. Surely it would be better to stick with the existing DSD line that we are all normal, but some of us have some differences - those do not define our internal sence of gender!

www.sdsd.scot.nhs.uk/

Hey yousaf

My auntie works in nhs in Scotland in getting patients ready for cancer treatment

She’s fucking knackered at end of every shift cos there’s not enough staff to do all the work

The nurses have their desks next to the door so they can get out fast when someone gets violent If their desks are at other side of room they can’t get out if someone gets violent

This is life for nurses.

Sort this out instead of pledges and badges

I avoid wearing ANYTHING at work that shows my political or other alliance as we're not here for that, we're here to treat patients as individuals not force beliefs onto them and the elderly don't appreciate it.

This seems much more professional.

Is there any evidence that health care staff have been abusing trans people gay men lesbian women ?

Show us th3 evidence yousaf

What a man is he

Not supporting staff that are totally worn out by the last 16 months.

Nope.

Wear badges and clipe on anyone who won’t sign their stasi pledge

Of course you do. It's the usual pile of shite

Of course it is. I wonder how concerned anyone would be about a rainbow badge if they were seriously ill or injured. Anyone from the LGBT+ community can rest assured that if your life needs saving staff will be far to busy doing that to even consider which letter of the alphabet applies to you.

twitter.com/ForwomenScot/status/1404485776600186885?s=20

Genuine question. Is there any quality academic research on the impact/effectiveness of EDI initiatives, whether awareness raising activities, champions, pledges, training, policy review or any of the other methods currently adopted?

twitter.com/AudreySuffolk/status/1404454931122343937

Is there much evidence that wearing a lanyard encourages people who don’t access healthcare (and therefore won’t see aforementioned lanyard) to actually access healthcare?

I mean, don’t you have to be accessing healthcare to be aware of who is wearing one?