Report From Sal Uka.

"Our latest LGBTQ+ forum saw updates, discussions, and a visit from the Royal College of Nursing and an agreement to press forward for CHFT to be Stonewall accredited.

Glenn Turp from RCN also joined us. There was an open discussion about the forum within the Safe Space that we’ve created. It became important that there are people who can support LGBT staff to go to. This will be something we want to work on and might fit with the work of the Freedom To Speak Up Guardians. (FTSUG) There was also discussion how the forum might impact on patients, even if at the moment this is a forum for staff.

It was also suggested there chould be learning on how our BAME  (British, Asian and Minority Ethnic) group is progressing and it was agreed to have a joint meeting in the future.

There has been a Go See to Leeds Community Trust who shared advice on how we might be a Stonewall-accredited organisation in the future. 

** A bit of good news… we have agreed to support Halifax Pride 2019 and are looking to contact Happy Valley Pride and any Pride events in Huddersfield.

Finally, there are early discussions about a North of England NHS LGBT learning event co-hosted by NHSE, RCN and CHFT! Watch this space, but this will be the first ever regional LGBT event for NHS staff.

***The next meeting will be in March or April. We may meet off-site perhaps even a pub and combine the forum with a bit of a social event.