LGBTQ workers more likely to leave the NHS, according to data

LGBTQ+ NHS workers are more likely to leave the health organisation, which is hardly surprising given the recent Conservative crackdown on “gender ideology”. 

An infographic posted by the NHS Confederation on 17 May showed that while one in every 20 staff members at the National Health Service identify as LGBTQ+, as many as one in five gay, lesbian and bisexual staff, and one in four trans staff members are thinking of leaving. 

According to the data – taken from an NHS staff survey in 2023 – lesbian or gay staff members make up 2.6% of the workforce, with 2.3% bisexual staff, 0.4% transgender, and 6% who preferred not to self-identify. 

LGBTQ+ NHS workers were also found to be more likely to experience workplace bullying and harassment, discrimination and unwanted sexual behaviour compared to their heterosexual colleagues, with the gap especially widening for transgender and non-binary staff.

Their experiences meant that LGBTQ+ staff are less likely to recommend the NHS as a place to work, with just 58% of gay and lesbian staff and 56% of transgender staff recommending the NHS, compared to 63% of heterosexual staff. 

It comes at a worrying time for both transgender patients and hospital staff members, as the organisation is reportedly set to remove inclusive language from NHS documents under leaked new plans.

The UK government also recently proposed that trans women should not be allowed on single-sex women’s NHS wards, in a move that Labour leader Keir Starmer also supported. 

Trans youth have also been dealt a new “blow” to gender-affirming healthcare, as they will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers at NHS England gender identity clinics. Further leaked plans showed that trans children could be “forced to medically de-transition” or risk safeguarding referrals. 

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