Published on: 24th January 2019
Commitment to equality and diversity has been highlighted at local mental health and learning disability NHS trust, as it has been named one of the most inclusive employers in Britain by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality charity Stonewall.
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) has reached the Top 100 Employers list having been ranked 77th nationally and 4th among health and social care sector. This puts the Trust among an elite group of organisations which are the most inclusive employers in Britain for LGBT staff.
This year’s Top 100 Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index was the largest ever with 445 employers entering, demonstrating their commitment to LGBT workplace equality.
Paul Devlin, LPFT Chair said:
Year on year LPFT has been improving our culture to ensure people can be themselves in the workplace, but the 2019 result is a very significant step. The scale of improvement that allowed us to get into the Top 100 is massive, especially considering that this year the pool of organisations taking part had grown.
The Stonewall rating is often seen as an indicator of an organisation’s approach to equality and inclusion overall and can further increase diversity in the workplace. Our recent Care Quality Commission inspection report echoes this by commending the Trust’s exemplary commitment to equality. I’d like to thank everyone involved in the process for their hard work on making our organisation a welcoming place for all staff.
Polly Blaydes, LGBT+ Staff Network Chair said:
Making it to the Top 100 nationally is a tremendous achievement for us. The Trust has participated in Stonewall’s index for the eighth year running and the improvement in our rating strongly reflects the positive work going on across LPFT, showing a real drive to challenge discrimination. We recognise that there is a positive link between the quality of patient care and staff who feel safe, respected and valued. We want all lesbian, gay, bi and trans employees to be welcomed and accepted without exception.
To be ranked by Stonewall, each organisation must demonstrate their expertise in 10 areas of employment policy and practice, including networking groups, senior leadership, procurement and how well they’ve engaged with LGBT communities.
As part of the Top 100, Stonewall has collected more than 92,000 anonymous responses from employees on their experience of Britain’s workplace culture and diversity. An overwhelming 93 per cent of non-LGBT employees who responded to the survey said they understand why their employer is committed to LGBT equality.
Last year, Stonewall released research that revealed more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have hidden they are LGBT at work and almost one in five LGBT employees (18 per cent) have been the target of negative comments from colleagues because of their identity.
