Educating staff on gender diversity

Metro North Health has developed a new video resource for staff to raise awareness and provide education on gender diversity, inclusive communication, and its importance in creating safe environments for LGBTIQ+ people when accessing care, and also in the workplace.

The ten-minute video highlights some of the barriers faced by the LGBTIQA+ community, the impacts of these barriers, and the role staff play in reducing them.

Consumer engagement was a vital part of the development of the video, with feedback provided by the Metro North Diversity Committee and the Pride in Metro North Working Group proving to be very positive.

Metro North Health Gender Service Coordinator Rebecca Cooley said having worked in the Gender Service for almost five years, she understands the real challenges and discrimination that gender or sexually diverse people experience every day.

“Accessing healthcare for anyone can be a scary or uncomfortable experience and the power imbalance that exists is undeniable,” Rebecca said.

“When you add the extra layers associated with being gender or sexually diverse, the health experiences and therefore outcomes become frightening.

“Many LGBTIQA+ people avoid attending healthcare facilities altogether, sometimes not even seeking treatment for serious medical events, because of the trauma associated with past experiences in healthcare facilities and with clinicians.

“In my experience, most people want to do the right thing but are either too afraid to say anything, so avoid it at all costs, or they simply don’t know.

“Education and knowledge are critical and by providing this to our staff, we can improve the healthcare experience for the community.”

An abridged version of the video will soon be shown to all new staff as part of the Metro North corporate orientation program.

“The video is just one of the many ways Metro North demonstrates that we are an inclusive healthcare facility and workplace that actively promotes, expects and engages in inclusive practice,” Rebecca said.

“It’s one thing to wear a rainbow lanyard and have your pronouns on your email signature, but these things become tokenistic if this allyship isn’t translating through to staff’s behaviour and communication.”