NHS Rainbow Badges

In February 2024 it was revealed that the Department of Health and Social Care would not be renewing funding for the NHS Rainbow Badge scheme, after it allowed a request from the National Advisor for LGBT Health to lapse.

GLADD has proudly been a partner organisation in Phase 2 of the NHS Rainbow Badges project since its launch in 2021. This initiative has played a pivotal role in highlighting and addressing LGBTQ+ health inequalities within secondary care, working with 77 individual Trusts across England to promote inclusive practice towards LGBTQ+ patients and staff.

The work, however, is far from done. The decision to withdraw funding from this project will be at the detriment of Trusts who have as yet been unable to sign up to or complete the scheme, and a greater detriment to the patients that they serve. The profound health inequalities and negative experiences of interactions with healthcare faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the UK underscore the urgent need to sustain initiatives like the NHS Rainbow Badges project.

This decision to terminate funding for the vital work of the NHS Rainbow Badges project can only be interpreted as a betrayal of LGBTQ+ people in this country. We sincerely hope that the current or future governments recognise the tremendous value of the project and commit to renewing its funding.