NHS Policy Audit - working party

[KnottyAuty]

Following on from Thread #23 of the Peggie v NHS Employment Tribunal. Anyone who wants to help with survey/audit of paperwork against the Equality Act protected characteristics please join here 😊

Great article. Thanks for the share token - the comments are interesting, if just to really gauge how under the radar this really is for the majority of people, and how unhappy they are about it when they realise.

Further completed Trusts from me:

North Staffordshire
Rotherham, Doncaster and Humber
Blood and Transplant Service
Birmingham and Solihull
Devon Partnership

Didn't find much under the Marsden or Hillingdon to be honest, but I did find this from the NHS Staff Council.

August 2021: welfare facilities for healthcare staff - Page 8
https://www.nhsemployers.org/system/files/2021-09/HSWPG%20Welfare%20facilitied%20report%20v3.pdf

The facilities should be large enough to allow the maximum number of workers expected to use them at any one time to do so without overcrowding or unreasonable delay. There should be separate facilities for, or separate use of facilities by, men, women and disabled staff.

Very happy to help out with this if more people are still needed?

Am humming along to this track as I scan - a suitable theme tune for the audit group?! https://open.spotify.com/track/4zvvvHm0b5CBl37tocxm7n

This - I'd love to pitch in if a new line of enquiry is starting up.

If I'm understanding correctly, I'm happy to help.

To do:
Download EDI policy
Download impact assessment

Complete @KnottyAuty's form.

Anything I've missed?
Happy to be allocated any trust and can do tomorrow. Will take on more if first goes OK.

Hi I have done a few of these. Some trust websites are easily searchable for policies but others not so much so it is useful to google for what you want as well. Quite a few trusts have additional transgender policies and/or guidance which contain more specific information on changing facilities etc. @KnottyAuty is allocating the work so I'm sure she'll get back to you soon.

Y’all are gonna love this:

The trust I’m currently auditing has a clear statement that they must comply with “national requirements for same-sex accommodation provision”.

And in the very next section they state that “The Trust respects an individual’s right to self-identity as male or female and commits to recognising all employees and patients and service users of the Trust as the gender in which they choose to present in so far as is reasonable and practicable. In instances where the trans person holds a GRC the Trust recognises that it is bound by law to do so for all purposes.

The transsexual man or woman has equal right to access single sex facilities and services as any other man or woman. This applies to accessing:

Male or female only support groups

Male or female only toilets

Male or female only wards or lounge areas.

There is no instance when an individual, whether they have a GRC or not, should be admitted to the incorrect facility.”

So, not actually single sex at all!

This is a perfect example! Thank you!
which trust please?

if you all shout out the worst bits on the thread it will help me zoom in on the key areas when I do the summary.

Central North West London

I’m not at my desk at the moment but will sort this out later. Many thanks

Well good to know that Essex Partnership have been thorough in thinking through all implications. Lucky we have those curtains providing some privacy and dignity:

"Patients who have permanently transitioned may have undertaken gender affirming treatment such as surgery and hormonal treatment. Such patients will therefore require on-going post-surgical care and self-care which may continue for many months or years. For example, trans women who have undergone surgery will need to dilate their vagina, at medically prescribed intervals, using a vaginal dilator in order to ensure that the vagina does not shrink and/or close (e.g. initially, twice daily immediately following surgery). It important that staff are aware of such physical healthcare needs and that patients are supported to undertake these important self care tasks with privacy and dignity, and in line with infection control procedures. It should be noted that vaginal dilators are medical devices and should not be considered, or referred to as, sex toys under any circumstances."

(There is a slightly entertaining and simultaneously horrifying addendum, which says: “a sexually-disinhibited pre-operative transsexual individual may be very distressing for other patients on a single-sex ward.” They recommend that in the rare occasions when that might arise, the trans person gets a single room. Presumably to stop them waving their willy around in front of people?)

I. I mean, I. I just.

Have no words.

😳

I've submitted Guy's and St Thomas'. More of the same really - they offer single-sex facilities that welcome the opposite sex. Much, much batshittery in the Supporting Trans staff and patients Staff and Manager Guidance https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/protocols_and_policies_regarding_155/response/1995227/attach/html/3/supporting%20trans%20staff%20and%20patients%202020.pdf.html

I can do another if any remaining?

Like this:
''Proactive support for Trans and non-binary staff and patients

Could it be possible to provide gender neutral facilities for staff to use? All houses provide gender-neutral toilets, is it possible to do the same in your area?''

Ok, so this is maybe not the place, but I SO hate the gotcha argument “you have gender neutral bathrooms in your house, so nya nya.” Yes, and because it’s my house, I kind of have given personal permission to every single arse that sits on the toilets in my house. Not so much a public toilet.

Exasperating!

Do you not offer your facilities to random members of the public TwoLoonsAndASprout? I would be more than happy to offer my gender neutral loo to staff and patients at Guys and St Thomas - that i live hundreds of miles from there is unfortunate.

Perhaps I should! Maybe I’m being unkind by not having a sign outside my house proclaiming that there’s a gender-neutral toilet for all who want it.

But seriously though, there was a time when there were no public toilets for women. Women were effectively on what was called a “urinary (or loo) leash” - they could only venture as far from home as they could go without needing to pee. Women fought for years to get women-only public toilets. They are being handed away and it just makes me so enraged that the people who are doing it are saying “but you share bathrooms in your home with men.” Yes, exactly like those pre-women’s-public-toilets women! In-home toilets are not the effing issue and they know it.

Ooh gosh! I also sleep in the same bed as my bathroom co-sharer.

Do I also have to share my bed with random people? 🤬

Well these threads are always instructive aren't they?!
A Lovehoney search I may never do again...

You mean you don’t? How very unkind of you!

🤣🤯🤦‍♀️

Oh yes please!
South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust

I am surprised that I can still be surprised at the complete idiocy of policies like this. Do these people not realise how utterly stupid this reads outside their bubble?

There are about 200 Trusts so perhaps the most egregious samples can be drip-fed to the Telegraph on a daily basis until Sandie Peggie's Employment Tribunal restarts in July.