Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued on the use of inclusive language by NHS staff with respect to the LGBTQ+ community.

No guidance has been issued to National Health Service staff about the use of inclusive language. The Government expects the NHS to deliver services in line with the Equality Act 2010, having appropriate regard to protected characteristics as defined in the act.

NHS England has the document, A national framework for NHS – action on inclusion health, which defines inclusion health as an umbrella term used to describe people who are socially excluded, who typically experience multiple interacting risk factors for poor health, such as stigma, discrimination, poverty, violence, and complex trauma, which includes ensuring the needs of LGBT+ people are considered. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/a-national-framework-for-nhs-action-on-inclusion-health/