As a GP I’m all for collecting information on my patients’ sexuality – but when? | Ann Robinson

There’s good reason for gathering information on sexual orientation. During a 10-minute appointment is neither the time nor the place

There’s been an almighty fuss this weekend about GPs having to ask “intrusive questions” about sexual preferences. The trigger was the next stage of NHS England’s (NHSE) rollout of a programme to record the sexual orientation of all patients and service users over the age of 16. The onus is on all health services and adult social services (run by local authorities) to comply with the Equality Act 2010 by collecting the data. The rationale is that LGB individuals experience inequalities in their health and social care provision, and in order to identify needs, address them, educate the providers and monitor progress, we need the data.

And there’s good evidence that there is an inequality that needs to be addressed. “LGB people are disproportionately affected by a range of health inequalities, including poor mental health, higher risk of self-harm and suicide, increased prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV, increased use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco with a higher likelihood of dependency, increased social isolation and vulnerability in old age,” says the NHSE/LGBT Foundation.

Related: Great Ormond Street hospital 'failing' intersex patients

There are already far too many distractions that get in the way of a meaningful interaction with patients

Continue reading... October 16, 2017 at 05:24PM