Over 70% of LGBT doctors experience homophobia in the NHS

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More than 70% of LGBT doctors and dentists say they’ve experience homophobia in the NHS

19th October 2016 by Daniel Megarry

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The figure comes from a new survey commissioned by the British Medical Association and the Association of LGBT Doctors & Dentists, which asked 803 doctors and dentists about the discrimination they’ve faced.

70% of respondents say they’ve experienced ‘environmental’ homophobia, which stops short of harassment but includes experiences such as ‘having assumptions made about you’ or ‘feeling unable to talk about your private life’.

The survey also found that 12% of doctors and dentists have experienced serious harassment or abuse over their sexuality, and that only a quarter of those had reported the incident to a senior colleague.

One respondent, a hospital consultant named Dominic, said that he was “shocked at the level of ignorance” that he encountered at work when he transitioned.

He added: “I don’t think the NHS is an LGBT-friendly environment. There are pockets of understanding, pockets of openness but there is a large degree of hostility.”

BMA representative body chair Anthea Mowat said the association are committed to doing “everything in [their] power” to tackle homophobia in the workplace.

She said: “The experiences related in this report show us that too many of our colleagues are still experiencing the NHS as a less than supportive place to work and be themselves.”

Read more articles from GT, here.