NHS badges

[boydy99]

I dont know if anyone else has seen this yet. My organisation is also public sector and pro Stonewall so wondering how long it is until we have a similar policy.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aec64082-cbb4-11eb-b575-81b2a16c3be4?shareToken=203864c87d5e4519397c8dea43d8a407

This is really normal in the NHS. We have them at my Trust, as well as rainbow lanyards. Anyone who wants one makes a pledge to say that they support LGBT+ people. It's completely voluntary and there's no pressure on anyone to sign up.

@TabithaTiger

This is really normal in the NHS. We have them at my Trust, as well as rainbow lanyards. Anyone who wants one makes a pledge to say that they support LGBT+ people. It's completely voluntary and there's no pressure on anyone to sign up.

An actual pledge?! Spoken or signed? Like joining the Army?

What is this "pledge", exactly?

Do you sign your name to some sort of written promise?

See, I can see goes this will go. Some well-mesning, or woke misogynist, team leader will turn up on shift with the bag of badges and say "we all need to wear these to show our support to the LGBT community. Most people will comply (because work, boss, ignorance, etc). Team leader gets to record their film team's compliance.

Then that doctor or nurse goes back to work, and then sees female patients who clock the badge and immediately feel uncomfortable because what that badge says to her is that women's consent and boundaries do not matter to this HCP.

From the article -

'The campaign has rankled some doctors and nurses, however, amid leaked guidance from civil servants that health boards should record uptake among staff. A Scottish government briefing passed to this newspaper states that badges should only be awarded to staff who take the pledge and it advises that the numbers of badge-wearers “and basic info on staff groups wearing the badge” should be noted.'

Debatable how 'voluntary' it is.

I agree with @TabithaTiger - this really isn’t as big a deal as it is being portrayed. The pledge is basically just so that by getting a rainbow badge you are actually agreeing to be an ally and not just to get a pretty badge.

Compliance was “monitored” just in overall numbers probably more to justify the job of the person responsible for giving them out.

We launched last year and less than a quarter of our staff have them. And most of those do nothing for pride allyship!

(And no, I don’t have one)

And presumably if you don't sign the pledge, that would publicly show that you don't support LGBT+ people? Even if you don't want to sign the pledge for many other reasons (don't specially support Stonewall, don't agree with compelled speech, feel that it will alienate female patients, as a pp mentioned).

Are there pledges in place (and special badges) to show support for other protected groups?

That seems quite sinister.

It was a little different at my NHS hospital. This happened a couple of years ago, we had an email to say that we could do an online course on LBGT+ Issues, and on completion, we would receive a rainbow badge.
The course content was really about educating ourselves on LBGT+ matters, and being visible to offer support and signposting if someone asked for our help.
It was optional, no pressure, and plenty of common sense. I can’t speak for what other Trusts may have done, or how they presented it to staff. Had there been any slant to the course content that I felt uncomfortable with, or any force to do it, I would have objected.
I did the course got the badge, and also a bag of Rainbow Drops!

Being open and accepting to all patients should be a basic minimum for anyone in the NHS- how many lanyards and badges would you have to wear to show you are approachable by members of the LGBT community/people with MH problems/those suffering abuse at home (adults and children)/BAME people/those with hidden disabilities/autism supportive/etc

Better to have lots of awareness training across the board. It should be a basic assumption that whoever you are you will be treated with decency and respect whilst in NHS care.

@PearPickingPorky

What is this "pledge", exactly?

Do you sign your name to some sort of written promise?

It's on the intranet. If you want a badge then you complete a short quiz and there's a free text box where you can type in why you want to be an ally. Like I said, it's totally voluntary and there's no pressure to sign up. A lot of people want to though to show support for LGBT colleagues or patients.

Reported on the HSJ thread:

NHS staff in Scotland will be monitored to see if they are wearing "Pride" badges.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aec64082-cbb4-11eb-b575-81b2a16c3be4?shareToken=203864c87d5e4519397c8dea43d8a407

@Waitwhat23

And presumably if you don't sign the pledge, that would publicly show that you don't support LGBT+ people? Even if you don't want to sign the pledge for many other reasons (don't specially support Stonewall, don't agree with compelled speech, feel that it will alienate female patients, as a pp mentioned).

Are there pledges in place (and special badges) to show support for other protected groups?

No, it's really not like that at all. Out of 5000 staff, only about 300 have the badges or lanyards. There's no pressure at all. Others have different badges, or for example, purple lanyards to show support for people with disabilities. I think if you don't work in the public sector/ NHS then it can be difficult to understand.

Surely the point is that if it requires a "pledge" then it becomes a political statement. It shows an explicit position on a current political issue. It stops being merely an expression of sympathy. Should NHS staff be wearing political symbols at work?

We made the "news" elsewhere in a previous discussion of this!
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3694882-NHS-rainbow-badges

I'm afraid as an L person I would deeply concerned about the source of this 'pledge' and it was a symbol of committment to a political position.

a) that has no place at work in a public facing role demanding impartiality of care

b) there are many things about that political position that as an L person I find deeply hostile.

I would be likely to ask for someone not wearing a lanyard.

No, it's really not like that at all…There's no pressure at all…I think if you don't work in the public sector/ NHS then it can be difficult to understand.

From the Times piece linked above:

A Scottish government briefing passed to this newspaper states that badges should only be awarded to staff who take the pledge and it advises that the numbers of badge-wearers “and basic info on staff groups wearing the badge” should be noted.

Health boards have been told not to keep records of individuals who do not take the pledge, but there are concerns among staff who feel under pressure to participate.

I do work in the public sector.

Are there pledges in place (within the NHS) for other protected groups?

Is the 'basic info of staff groups' of those who wear purple lanyards (for example) collected in the same way as this article describes?

i dont understand why not @Artichokeleaves

@YesIWorkForTheNHS there's an excellent comment on that thread which caught my eye -

'I already wear a lanyard that indicates that I will treat anyone who I interact with with courtesy and respect: it says "staff".'

I still will never understand why the LGBTQ community use the symbol of the rainbow.

I wear a rainbow badge on my lanyard because of it's symbol of Hope, waiting for the day I'll be told I can no longer wear it.

Exactly what delirium states. As a health professional it is a requirement to treat all patients equally with dignity and respect regardless of whether they fall under a protected characteristic. We shouldnt have to wear badges or pretty coloured lanyards to demonstrate that we are more likely than our non lanyard wearing person, to be kinder to people who are gay or lesbian. Neither should they be used to state you are an ally as that is political. What if i was turn up to work wearing an adult human female badge? after all women are a proctected characteristic.

I'm afraid as an L person I would deeply concerned about the source of this 'pledge' and it was a symbol of committment to a political position…I would be likely to ask for someone not wearing a lanyard.

I found this Times comment rather poignant - and it exactly mirrors something Arty Morty said a few weeks ago - he used to find a rainbow comforting and now it creates apprehension.

I am a lesbian, and where the rainbow used to mean that i would be safe and accepted, it now makes me take a deep breath and wait for the onslaught of bluehairs telling me why I am evil.

If I feel like this, imagine what heterosexual people must think of it.

Staff who sign it are advised they may sometimes need to call out hate speech, or report incidents of discrimination or acts of verbal or physical abuse “against patients, people who use our services, and staff (including contractor staff)”.

Safeguarding is everybody's job. You don't need a badge to do it.

Does the NHS encourage wearing a COEXIST badge to promote religious tolerance and respect for a plurality of views?

the staff follow trust values