Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender LGBT+ (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

Recognition:

• Health and Wellbeing Board Chairs must ensure that Health and Wellbeing Strategy implementation plans and supporting strategies explicitly consider the actions to reduce inequalities affecting LGBT+ communities.
• All health and social care commissioners should continue to use equality impact assessment frameworks, which include sexual orientation and gender identity, for population strategy documents and action plans.
• All health and social care providers should implement the published guidance on becoming LGBT+ friendly providers.

Engagement:

• Healthwatch commissioning and contracting processes should monitor levels of engagement with LGBT+ populations.
• Clinical Commissioning Group public and patient involvement initiatives should ensure that LGBT+ communities are specifically included in CCG communication and engagement strategies.

Monitoring:

• Commissioners should include a requirement in contracts for service providers to monitor sexual orientation and gender identity in service users over 16 years, and consider monitoring younger age groups where appropriate.

Service Provision:

• Commissioners should use the data available to them to assess whether mainstream services they have commissioned are accessible to and appropriate for LGBT+ people.