A glass stairwell at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH) has been tinted with colours of the Progressive Flag, as part of their Pride Month celebrations.
The artwork is a visible sign of the Trust’s commitment to being an inclusive organisation for patients and staff.
Pride Month is celebrated in June each year to honour the 1969 Stonewall riots, and QEH joined communities around the world to show its support for LGBTQ+ rights.
The Trust’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network marked the start of Pride Month by raising the iconic Progress Flag in the hospital grounds. The Network also launched a Twitter channel and shared information with colleagues throughout the month.
QEH’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network is a 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 LGBTQ+ and Allies Network at QEH, said: “At QEH we are committed to creating an inclusive culture for our LGBTQ+ patients, their families and staff, and our ambition is to become an NHS exemplar for equality, diversity and inclusion. The tinted stairwell is one of the many ways we demonstrate the Trust’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion as we continue moving forward with our training, monitoring, inclusive policies and support for LGBTQ+ patients and staff.”
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 LGBTQ+ inclusion, including implementing the relevant staff training, monitoring, inclusive policies and support for LGBTQ+ staff and patients to drive a supportive environment.
More than 1,750 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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