Addressing Healthcare Discrimination In The LGBTQIA+ Community
Did you know that members of the LGBTQIA+ community regularly face barriers and discrimination when seeking healthcare in the UK??[1]?In this article, we will explore the challenges faced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and the impact discrimination play in the healthcare sector.
It has been reported that the LGBTQIA+ experience mental health problems at an increased level vs their hetero counterparts.?
According to a research project conducted by Youth Chances, 52% of LGBTQIA+ people reported self-harming, compared to 35% of heterosexual non-trans young people. Furthermore, 44% of the LGBTQ people reported suicidal thoughts, compared to 26% of heterosexual non-trans respondents. In a study by Stonewall, it was also found that 13% of LGBT people aged 18-24 attempted to take their own lives in the past year[2]
These figures are shocking, and whilst efforts have been made to improve this, the sector still has a long way to go.?
Some risk factors are unique to this community and can contribute to the disproportionate amount of mental health problems noted. These factors include:
- Bullying: Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community is the most common form of bullying found in UK schools[3]
- Hate crime: Members of this community are at a greater risk of experiencing hate crime compared to heterosexual people. A report by Stonewall showed that 69% of LGBTQIA+ people who had been victims of a hate crime went on to experience depression, and 76% reported anxiety challenges.
And the final risk factor is discrimination in healthcare.
In 2022, you’d assume that all healthcare providers and practitioners provide the same service whether an individual is heterosexual or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community – unfortunately, this isn’t the case. In 2018 the Women and Equalities Committee (Parliament) accused the NHS of treating the needs of LGBTQIA+ people as ‘less important’ than the rest of the general population.?
Stonewall recently produced a national health report that shows that one in seven members of the LGBTQIA+ community avoided seeking healthcare assistance due to the fear of discrimination from staff. One in four had witnessed healthcare staff make negative remarks about LGBTQIA+ people when accessing services.
As a result, LGBTQIA+ individuals often have poorer health outcomes than the general population. Therefore, it is so essential for healthcare providers to offer access to clinicians who understand the LGBTQIA+ community. By doing so, providers can help to ensure that LGBTQIA+ individuals receive the care they need from clinicians who are familiar with LGBTQIA+ issues that can provide valuable resources and support to patients and their families.?
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LGBTQIA+ healthcare encompasses a wide range of unique issues and challenges. LGBTQIA+ clinicians or allies play an important role in providing LGBTQIA+-competent care. Healthcare providers should be up to date on the latest LGBTQIA+ health information and resources and the unique challenges that LGBTQIA+ patients face when accessing healthcare.?
Some topics that may be covered in LGBTQIA+ healthcare appointments include sexual health advice, such as PrEP and HIV treatment; transgender healthcare, including hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery; mental health support; and more.?Many members of the community feel safer and more comfortable to seek assistance when they know their clinician will understand their challenges without discrimination.
At Health-Connect, we empower healthcare providers to offer a larger selection of clinicians to their service users, without the additional cost of full-time headcount. We do this by enabling a multi-discipline telehealth service where providers and their service users can select their preferred clinician from the largest range of professionals, with the provider only being charged for hourly sessions.
We’re currently working with Eleanor Hospital, who have truly proved the benefits of this offering. Before partnering with Health-Connect, Eleanor’s service users only had access to one therapist, and if they didn’t work well with this individual there were little to no other options – as is common in healthcare. With Health-Connect, their service users have a range of therapists to choose from and could even select specific characteristics such as religion, sexuality, languages spoken and more. Eleanor Hospital currently have five additional therapists now supporting their service users.
With the implementation of Health-Connect, Eleanor Hospital are making huge savings and have considerably improved patient care.
For further information on how Health-Connect can transform your patient care, enabling you to offer an inclusive offering to your service users, get in touch today.
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