THE NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is following an initiative to educate staff on the health needs of LBGT+ communities to ensure inclusivity when commissioning services.

By making a pledge to be more inclusive, the CCG has considered how wearing the NHS Rainbow badge needs to increase awareness of the issues faced by LBGT+ communities and offer open, non-judgemental and inclusive care for all who identify as LGBT+.

Dr Nigel Wells, the CCG’s clinical chair, said: "By increasing our awareness and understanding of the issues LGBT+ people face in healthcare, we can ensure we consider equality, diversity and inclusion when making commissioning decisions."

Yorkshire MESMAC, Yorkshire’s largest LGBT+ sexual and mental health charity, recently delivered a training session to CCG staff in order to raise awareness regarding issues that LGBT+ people face.

Rosie Ellingham, training and communication coordinator at Yorkshire MESMAC, said: "We hope that the training offered alongside the Rainbow Badge initiative will be beneficial for staff in patient facing roles, staff designing services and staff communicating health messages to the wider public."