Brody's Notes... Britain's Department of Health Invites LGB&T Voices

By JoAnne Dunning | MANCHESTER, UK -- The National LGB&T Partnership are to join the Department of Health Strategic Partner Programme. This England-wide group of LGBT voluntary and community organisations are committed to reducing health inequalities, and challenging homophobia and transphobia within public services.

The Partnership has been praised for its ‘excellent progress in building robust governance arrangements and working practices’, as well as ‘engaging and involving a breadth and diversity of voices from the LGB&T communities’.

Minister of State for Care Services Paul Burstow MP said;

“Investing in The National LGB&T Partnership as a strategic partner demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to removing barriers and advancing equal opportunities as set out in the detailed LGB &T Action Plan. We hope that the work of the Partnership will improve the Department’s capacity and knowledge in addressing health inequalities relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and ensure that the Department pays due regard to the Equalities Duty.”

Last week, the Department of Health wrote to The National LGB&T Partnership to announce that The Partnership are to join the Department of Health Strategic Partner Programme for 2011-12, and to congratulate the partners on an extremely successful first year.

During 2010–11, the Partnership utilised a Department of Health Development Grant to develop governance arrangements and to begin to build effective and efficient communication mechanisms for engaging with the LGB&T sector in order to influence the policy, practice and actions of Government and statutory bodies.

“The model developed is unique, and is the first of its kind to build on the experience and skills of the LGB&T sector in order to ensure that health inequalities experienced by people from LGB&T communities are kept high on the Government’s agenda.” Commented Paul Martin, Chief Executive of The Lesbian & Gay Foundation and Chair of The National LGB&T Partnership.

The National LGB&T Partnership consist of 11 regional LGB&T Voluntary organisations who work to ensure that health inequalities experienced by LGB&T people are kept high on the Government’s agenda and that best use is made of the experience and expertise found within the LGB&T voluntary and community sector. The Partnership also work to ensure the sustainability of the LGB&T sector and enable it to engage with Government and statutory bodies, such as the Department of Health, at a strategic level to improve service delivery. The Partnership is made up of: ELOP, London Friend, GMFA, TREC, PACE, Derbyshire Friend, Yorkshire Mesmac, GADD, Gires, Stonewall Housing and The Lesbian & Gay Foundation.

The Lesbian & Gay Foundation (LGF) is a vibrant charity with a wide portfolio of well-established services and a rapidly developing range of new initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The LGF is committed to working with partners across all sectors in order to achieve more positive outcomes for LGB people. The LGF is reported by service users as to be one of the first points of contact for them when they have been at a crisis point in their lives. We campaign for a fair and equal society where all lesbian, gay and bisexual people can achieve their full potential, and their stated mission is: ‘Ending Homophobia, Empowering People’.
For further info: www.lgf.org.uk or call 0845 3 30 30 30.