This month, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is supporting LGBT+ History Month.
LGBT History Month celebrates LGBT+ people in all their diversity, raises awareness, and combats prejudice with education.
Lyn Simpson, Chief Executive of NCIC, raised the Pride Progress flag earlier this month at our Cumberland Infirmary site. Pride flags are also flying at Workington Hospital and the West Cumberland Hospital.
She said: “Today it is much more accepted for people to express their views, their feelings and their relationships much more openly and here at NCIC we welcome that.”
Amanda Sutton-Heaton, chair of the LGBT+ staff network at NCIC, said: “It’s really empowering to know that our history has shaped where we are now and we have come so far forward and we will continue to move forward. This isn’t about in your face rainbows. This isn’t about a protest. This is a celebration of what we have gone through and people in our history have gone through to make sure we are open so we can be who we want to be and where we want to be and not be ashamed of that.”
As a Trust we are proud to support LGBT+ employees, patients and the wider community. The Trust is once again supporting Cumbria Pride this year that will take place in Carlisle on September 24. More information, including the venue and other exciting details, will be released in due course.
Within the Trust have an active LGBT+ staff network for those who are interested in getting involved. This week our staff network is taking part in a social media takeover tweeting and posting interesting facts about LGBT+ History Month.
In one of the tweets this week, Amanda said: “It is so important to know being LGBT+ is nothing to be ashamed of, and there is help out there if you are having any difficulties. Be a good ally if you don't identify under our rainbow umbrella and let's all celebrate being kind humans.”
Further information about LGBT+ History Month is available at: https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/