LGBTQIA+
Supporting pharmacists to achieve their potential is part of our ambition to create a culture of belonging. Sexual orientation is one of the areas where people in our inclusion and diversity survey thought more support was needed for the profession.
Our survey told us one in ten of you felt that the profession wasn’t welcoming to all individuals, irrespective of their background, beliefs, gender and sexuality – and a further one in four weren’t sure.
Embracing equality for a stronger profession
“It’s great to see some of the work the RPS is now doing around equality, inclusion and diversity issues, to celebrate the diversity of the pharmacy profession and to help promote the principles and practice of inclusion.”
– Julie Morgan
Identifying the problems
We need more visible and authentic leadership at all levels in pharmacy so that everyone feels welcome and they can be their authentic selves at work.
- More than a third of LGBT staff have hidden or disguised that they are LGBT at work because they were afraid of discrimination.
- One in five LGBT people aren’t out to any healthcare professional about their sexual orientation when seeking general medical care, and one in seven have avoided treatment for fear of discrimination because they’re LGBT.
- There is a severe lack of teaching around LGBTQIA+ issues in pharmacy education and, where it is present, it reinforces marginalisation — the profession must take steps to improve.
Breaking the barriers
Read about the achievements and experiences of others:
- Dipesh Raghwani explains how his team supports the LGBTQIA+ community in his area.
- Read our blog on Trans-inclusive healthcare: A pharmacy perspective (link to be added soon).
What you can do
Together, we can tackle discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in our pharmacy workplaces.
As a pharmacist, here are some actions you can take, and some resources to help you understand the issues they face.
Microaggressions
Microaggressions are the everyday, subtle, intentional — but often unintentional — interactions or behaviours that communicate bias against LGBTQIA+ people.
Tackling microaggressions can make a real difference to workplace culture. We’ve worked with our ABCD LGBTQIA+ group and the PDA’s LGBTQIA+ network to develop resources on microaggressions.
- Find out more about LGBTQIA+ microaggressions, how to challenge them if you experience them and how positive micro-affirmations can make all the difference to workplace culture.
- Download our poster on sexual orientation and gender microaggressions for your workplace.
- Improve communication and understanding with patients by downloading our LGBTQIA+ glossary to better inform conversations with patients and make healthcare more inclusive.
What we’re doing
At our RCPharm Action in Belonging, Culture and Diversity (ABCD) meetings – the forum where you talk with us about inclusion and diversity – you’ve raised key issues you want us to champion. Some of the things we do involve:
- Working with a range of Schools of Pharmacy to embed LGBTQ+ topics within the undergraduate curriculum.
- Developing inclusive healthcare toolkits for pharmacists with the Pride in Practice programme from the LBGT Foundation.
- Call on the Government to expand provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis to community pharmacies and GP practices as part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan.
Inclusion and diversity blogs
Many RCPharm members have written about their experiences in promoting and fighting for Inclusion and Diversity in pharmacy.
To discover their stories and learn about how their experiences, background and culture have shaped who they are today, browse through our collection below.
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Empowering inclusive leadership through the North West IPP Toolkit and steering group journey
Pharmacy leaders in the North West are driving meaningful cultural change through a co‑produced IPP Toolkit and a collaborative steering group, empowering teams to embed equity, diversity and belonging into everyday practice.