We recognise that our patients and our members of staff come from many ethnic, religious, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and will vary in their health, experiences, beliefs, genders and sexualities.
Non-urgent advice: Statement from CUH: Trans and non-binary people inclusion
Cambridge University Hospitals is fully committed to supporting our trans and non-binary patients and staff alongside the wider LGBT+ community. We strive to ensure a safe, kind and excellent environment for everyone receiving care from us, and an inclusive workplace for all colleagues, where people feel they belong in the CUH family and are able to bring their whole selves to work.
With increasing public and media debate about the rights of trans and non-binary people, CUH is clear that we will not accept any discrimination, victimisation, harassment, hostility or aggression towards our staff on the basis of their gender identity.
Working in the NHS can be enormously rewarding. It can also be challenging, without also feeling the need to hide who you are or try to conform to society’s norms of gender expression. Our staff perform at their best, delivering the best care and services and supporting each other, when they feel safe at work to be themselves without fear of stigma or rejection, and when they are treated with respect.
We also know that health outcomes for the LGBT+ community are significantly worse than other parts of the population and we remain committed to providing the best possible healthcare and tackling health inequalities.
We recognise that issues of identity and beliefs can be complex and can provoke strong feelings and discussion. We must all take personal responsibility for ensuring that our trans and non-binary staff and patients are treated with dignity, respect and compassion. We encourage open conversations with an appetite to learn and improve to enable us to provide the best possible healthcare and workplace environment.
all equal | all different | all individual
We are committed to eliminating discrimination and ensuring equality in care, and continue to embed our equality and diversity values into our policies, procedures and everyday practice.
Equality in the NHS
Under the Equality Act 2010 (opens in a new tab), NHS organisations have what is called a general equality duty. In practice this means that we must:
- eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
- foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it.
These are underpinned by the Public Sector Equality Duty which requires us to:
- publish information annually to show our compliance with the equality duty
- set and publish equality objectives, at least every four years
Equality for patients – Disability: reasonable adjustments
Every person with a disability who attends our hospitals, whether as a patient, member of staff or a visitor, should find their experience as positive as that of a non-disabled person. Making changes for disabled people in the built environment, in how we do things, or communicate, is known as making 'reasonable adjustments.'
If you think you may need any kind of adjustment when attending our hospitals in person, please contact the ward or department (opens in a new tab) that you are visiting or will be treated in.
You may find it helpful to visit our accessibility page.
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