Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital and local community NHS services, has become the very first NHS trust to sign up to a new Greater Manchester-wide declaration of support for the LGBT+ community. 

They’ve signed up to the All Equals Charter, which is currently in beta testing following its launch at this year’s Manchester Pride Conference.  The charity has produced the All Equals Charter to help create a consistent approach to diversity and inclusion across the region. It is designed to help businesses and organisations to understand how to recognise and challenge any form of discrimination through the provision of a thought-through support system guiding them to achieve a truly diverse, inclusive and equal workplace.

It promotes recognition of and respect for LGBT+ people and aims to ensure that LGBT+ safe spaces are created for all people in this community. It is asking organisations across Greater Manchester to challenge themselves to achieve this, and is helping to give them the support in creating a consistent approach to diversity and inclusion across the region.   

40% of LGBT+ people in Manchester report having faced discrimination, and national research has shown LGBT+ people are significantly more likely to have experienced a mental health condition, with surveyed 72% reported having had mental health problems as a result of work. The new charter seeks to help tackle this, assisting organisations and businesses in understanding how to recognise and challenge any form of discrimination through the provision of a thought-through support system guiding them to achieve a truly diverse, inclusive and equal workplace.  

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has a very active LGBT+ group which promotes inclusiveness for both staff and patients. The group is very active on involving the trust in the each year’s pride parade, promotes awareness among staff about inclusiveness on LGBT families and next of kin, and organises other a variety of other awareness-raising events too.

The group, together with the trust’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager Annela Hussain, were keen to ensure Stockport would lead the way for others to follow in the NHS in ensuring equality.   

Janet Marrs, a research nurse at Stepping Hill Hospital and co-chair for the group said “Our aim is to make Stockport NHS as accessible and supportive as possible for LGBT+ people, whether they’re working for us or we’re caring for them. The new All Equals Charter speaks for our aims perfectly and we’re really thrilled to be the first NHS trust on board.”

Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said: “We believe that everyone deserves their whole selves to be accepted without exception. During our initial research period, we discovered that LGBT+ people in Greater Manchester are experiencing alarming levels of discrimination against other protected characteristics in addition to their sexual orientation in spaces deemed to be safe for LGBT+ people. We wanted to do something about it. In developing what has now become the All Equals Charter we have created a platform for us to work with businesses and organisations across Greater Manchester to take a look at everything from their procedures and policies relating to discrimination to the training and education offered to their workforces to create the optimum environment for LGBT+ people to thrive, whether this be at work or at play.”  

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust joins Manchester Metropolitan University, Enterprise Rent-a-Car Greater Manchester, Auto Trader UK, UKFast, Tameside Council and Tameside & Glossop CCG as members of the charter. Others are set to join in the new year.