To treat me, you need to know who I am

Last year I was admitted to a hospital ward for elective surgery. I was accompanied my civil partner. As we waited for me to be taken to the operating theatre, I became aware of the drift of the conversation from some of the other patients. They were making hurtful comments about gay people. Those making the comments were male, white and older. As I was taken to theatre I told staff about how unhappy I was about the remarks. After surgery, I was placed in a side room for the rest of my stay in the ward.

What followed was instructive. It seemed as though front line, ward, staff had little difficulty in dealing with a patient who was gay and a partner who brought food twice daily. It was the managerial grades, above the ward management, who seemed to have some difficulties in grasping the issues and seemed out of their depths and out of their frame of reference. I was too ill to explain myself but listened to my civil partner having to explain very basic ideas, terms and what was needed by LGB patients, their partners, friends and families to senior NHS managers.

All this is a prelude to a new initiative in the health service of New York City which mandates training in the issues relating to LGBT patients. The press release can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/html/pressroom/press-release-20110525-lgbt-training.shtml
and the accompanying video can be seen here:

My first comment is the need for a British version of this without the piano schmaltz.