The National LGB&T Partnership are to join The Department of Health Strategic Partner Programme The England-wide group of LGB&T voluntary and community organisations are committed to reducing health inequalities and challenging homophobia and transphobia within public services.
The Partnership has been praised for its ‘excellent progress in building robust governance arrangements and working practices’ as well as ‘engaging and involving a breadth and diversity of voices from the LGB&T communities’. Minister of State for Care Services Paul Burstow MP said; “Investing in The National LGB&T Partnership as a strategic partner demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to removing barriers and advancing equal opportunities as set out in the detailed LGB &T Action Plan. We hope that the work of the Partnership will improve the Department’s capacity and knowledge in addressing health inequalities relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and ensure that the Department pays due regard to the Equalities Duty.”
Last week, the Department of Health wrote to The National LGB&T Partnership to announce that The Partnership are to join the Department of Health Strategic Partner Programme for 2011-12, and to congratulate the partners on an extremely successful first year. During 2010–11, the Partnership utilised a Department of Health Development Grant to develop governance arrangements and to begin to build effective and efficient communication mechanisms for engaging with the LGB&T sector in order to influence the policy, practice and actions of Government and statutory bodies.
“The model developed is unique, and is the first of its kind to build on the experience and skills of the LGB&T sector in order to ensure that health inequalities experienced by people from LGB&T communities are kept high on the Government’s agenda.” Commented Paul Martin, Chief Executive of The Lesbian & Gay Foundation and Chair of The National LGB&T Partnership.
For more information: http://www.lgf.org.uk/the-national-lgbt-partnership/