The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH) is joining communities around the world to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month, showing its support for LGBTQ+ rights and commitment to creating an inclusive environment for its LGBTQ+ staff, patients and their families.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honour the 1969 Stonewall riots, and is an opportunity for people around the world to show their support for LGBTQ people.
On Tuesday 1 June, the Trust’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network will mark the start of Pride Month by raising the iconic Progress Flag in the hospital grounds. The Network will also be launching a brand new Twitter channel, and sharing information about Pride Month with colleagues throughout the month.
QEH’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network is a diverse volunteer-run group of QEH’s LGBTQ+ staff and allies who are passionate about creating a safe and inclusive culture for staff, patients and their families. The Network represents all areas of the Trust and encourages respect and equality for everybody working at Team QEH, improved staff experience and safe patient care.
Laura Skaife-Knight, Deputy Chief Executive and Chair of the QEH LGBTQ+ and Allies Network, said: “As a Trust, our ambition is to become a leader and NHS exemplar for equality, diversity and inclusion. Each and every one of us has a role to play in creating an inclusive culture at QEH but I am particularly proud of the Network for everything they do to drive positive change and ensure our colleagues are supported, and that our patients receive inclusive care. Pride Month is just one of the many opportunities we have to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community at QEH and we will continue to move forward on our objectives around staff training, monitoring, inclusive policies and support for LGBTQ+ staff and patients to drive a supportive work and clinical environment.”
In May, the Trust announced it had been selected as one of the ten Trusts nationally to take part in the second phase of the Rainbow Badge scheme. Rainbow Badge benchmarks NHS organisations for their work on LGBT+ inclusion including implementing the relevant staff training, monitoring, inclusive policies and support for LGBT+ staff and patients to drive a supportive environment.
More than 1,777 staff at QEH have signed a pledge to celebrate equality and diversity in their workplace, ensuring services are delivered in a non-judgemental and inclusive way.
You can follow QEH’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network on Twitter @TeamQEH_LGBTQ
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