An analysis and commentary paper on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender primary care has been published in the British Journal of General Practice.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) primary healthcare will, increasingly, be a feature of the primary care repertoire. Pride in Practice, which is supported by the RCGP, provides a rating system that judges primary care surgeries on a welcoming environment, access, the general practitioner (GP) – patient consultation, staff awareness and training and health promotion for LGBT people. For those surgeries signed up to the initiative, plans to address shortfalls will be developed in consultation with the Lesbian and Gay Foundation.
Another initiative, Transgender Awareness, is attempting to address matters that are important to a phenomenologically diverse group of transgender patients. While acknowledging this very positive development, it is important to understand what we mean by ‘LGBT primary healthcare’. In this paper we draw on the concept of LGBT healthcare to explore the benefits and potential harms that this term can engender, and on the different ways that the relatively sparse LGBT health literature has addressed and accounted for the different foci of LGBT healthcare over the years. In doing so, we argue for a more nuanced approach to LGBT primary healthcare.
Davy, Z., & Siriwardena, A. N. (2012). To be or not to be LGBT in Primary Care: health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people British Journal of General Practice, 62(602), 491-492.