Sexual orientation discrimination in the health system
The Equality Act 2006 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services - including healthcare. This means that it is unlawful to discriminate against anybody who is gay, lesbian or bisexual when providing a health service. This includes public and private doctors, dentists, hospitals and other primary and secondary health care services. If you feel you have been refused a service or treated unfairly because of your sexual orientation, contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at your local Primary Care Trust (PCT) or a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
Becoming involved - why it's important and how to be involved
The NHS belongs to you as it is funded through the taxes that you pay. You have the right, and some would say the responsibility, to be involved in making it a better system for yourself and everyone else. It is inevitable that we are all going to encounter some health problems throughout our lives and will need to access the health system. Being involved in improving the system now will be of benefit to all of us in the future.
The NHS and all PCTs have a legal duty to make arrangements to involve and consult patients and the public in the planning and development of health services and in how the services operate. Patient and public involvement has been made a priority in recent years and PCTs have been developing new ways for people to be involved.
Some of the challenges faced by the NHS in getting the public involved include:
- People assume it will take up too much time, especially when they have demanding jobs, busy social lives and family commitments.
- "I'm not ill so why should I care?"
- Perceived or real homophobia in the health system
- The public feeling like involvement wouldn't lead to any positive outcomes due to too much bureaucratic red tape.
- If someone has a serious illness, they may not want people to know or may be worried about confidentiality.
- People don't know how to get involved and what options are available.
Voicing your opinions and concerns about healthcare does not have to take up a lot of your time. There are many simple ways to contribute to improving the health of yourself and other gay and bisexual men.
- Many PCTs have patient forums, patient groups and local involvement networks where members of the public can join to share their experiences and ideas.
- Attend your local PCT's annual public meeting and/or PCT Board meeting.
- Fill out satisfaction surveys or questionnaires if your GP surgery or clinic has them.
- If the service isn't up to scratch or you think it could be improved in some way, simply tell someone or write a letter of complaint.
- If you were provided with a good service, let them know. It is just as important for services to hear about the things that they are doing well as it is the things they can improve on.
Your local PCT will have information on the options available for you to become involved. Check their website for details, usually in the section called 'Patient and public involvement'.
It can be difficult to find the motivation to be proactively involved in improving the health system, especially when you are not sick. However, if we all leave it for somebody else to do, the voices of gay and bisexual men will never be heard and the health issues of our community will never be addressed.
If all of this still leaves you feeling that you have not received a fair deal it might be worth thinking about making a complaint.
