Welcome to the sexual orientation page of the NHS North East staff networks website. This is an innovative web page that has been developed to support staff wherever they work in the local NHS. We hope you will find this page useful as it grows and develops.

The NHS in the north east is committed to celebrating the equality and diversity of our staff and patients. As public bodies every individual NHS organisation has a legal duty to ensure that, wherever possible, all people can use or receive our services to the same standards regardless of race, disability, gender, age, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. As an employer we also have had a legal duty to ensure that all people have equality of opportunity to be considered for employment, training and promotion. We must demonstrate how we will promote equality and address the inequality, disadvantage and discrimination that people may face during their lives.

This site is just one way in which we are actively working to promote equality and address inequality. Staff network groups provide an opportunity for staff who share one of more aspects of their identity such as their gender, sexual orientation, race and disability status, to communicate, network, meet and support each other. It has also been developed to support staff in all of the NHS organisations across the north east of England and has been developed by the equality, diversity and human rights leads from these organisations.

This section of the website on sexual orientation has been designed by the NHS North East Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Staff Network, and includes information that we hope you will find useful. 

The LGB staff network group has been established on a north east wide basis because we heard from staff that there was a need for such a group. It was the first network group established and was used as a model to develop other network groups for the other equality strands, including groups for black and minority ethnic staff, and staff with disabilities.

For more information about the staff network group or a if you have any questions please contact staffnetwork@northeast.nhs.uk