Frontline NHS staff to be offered transgender awareness and sensitivity training

Frontline NHS staff across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes are being offered transgender awareness and sensitivity training to increase their understanding of transgender issues and help them to better support their patients.

Following engagement with trans people, the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board heard that trans people often experience inappropriate curiosity, and repeated misgendering, from health and care staff, in spaces where they should feel safe. This has led people to disengage from services, often leading to poor health outcomes and starker health inequalities.  

Julia Robson, Inequalities Lead for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board said:

“It’s incredibly important that when someone comes into a health and care setting that they’re made to feel comfortable, safe and cared for in a way they choose.

“Helping health and care professionals to understand the needs of residents and giving them the correct skills, knowledge and confidence to support them is crucial, especially if we want to help people live longer lives in good health.”

The training sessions, co-produced with East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and service users with lived experience, are open to all NHS frontline staff including GPs, nurses and paramedics.

The interactive sessions aim to increase transgender awareness through open conversations and using real scenarios to address any concerns people may have around language and the use of pronouns. There will also be an opportunity to discuss health inequalities and barriers to access to care for trans people.

Mack Mclean, People Participation Worker for Equality and Diversity at ELFT, said:

“My partner and I have worked with ELFT to co-produce this training using some of the experiences that we have had accessing healthcare in our local area. This training is incredibly important as it enables us to turn what went wrong for us into a positive learning experience for NHS staff and to ultimately help other patients.”

Julia Robson added:

“I would encourage all of our frontline staff to take up this offer, to help ensure that we treat everyone in the community with the dignity and respect to which they are entitled, whoever they are and whatever their life experiences.”

If you would like to attend the training, more information including the available dates can be found below:

9:30 – 12:00, March 27, 2023 – The Rufus Centre, Flitwick (Register HERE)

9:30 – 12:00, April 21,  2023 – The Leagrave Centre, Luton (Register HERE)

9:30 – 12:00, May 4, 2023 – Mercure Hotel, Bedford (Register HERE)

14:00 – 16:30, May 16, 2023 – YMCA, Milton Keynes (Register HERE)

Can’t attend the in-person sessions? Not to worry, we have a virtual session scheduled as follows;

17:30 – 19:30, April 19, 2023 – MS Teams (Register HERE)