LGBTIQA+ : Improving inclusive practice

    Gippsland Lakes Complete Health (GLCH) recognises and values the diversity of our staff and clients and aims to be an inclusive service provider to all members of our community.

    We are working on making our service more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer, asexual (LGBTIQA+) staff and clients and hope to achieve the Rainbow Tick accreditation for our organisation. Some of our recent initiatives are:

    Working with specific groups such as youth and aged:

    • The HEY (Healthy Equal Youth) Project. The HEY Project is about improving the quality of life of same sex attracted sex and gender diverse young people, aged between 14 and 25 years. We are coordinating this program and working in partnership with Headspace and local schools.
    • Australian Government National LGBTI Ageing & Aged Care Strategy. We are making changes to our work practices to respond to the needs of older LGBTI people and deliver care that is sensitive and appropriate.

    And…

    • Building inclusive services by providing staff education and resources and a welcoming environment.
    • Reviewing principles and standards in our guiding documents and providing education to our governing body.
    • Seeking consumer feedback from LGBTIQA+ populations about our service delivery. In partnership with Headspace, we have started consulting with LGBTIQA+ consumers to improve our responsiveness to the needs of our LGBTIQA+ population.

    We have also been participating in a pilot project called LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice for community health services run by the Department of Health and Human Services. The project will develop, pilot and evaluate a suite of tools and resources that support LGBTIQA+ inclusive and responsive service planning and practice in community health services. We are excited about launching the tools and resources within our organisation and making improvements for our LGBTIQA+ staff and clients.

    All feedback welcome!

    “Gippsland Lakes Complete Health pays its respects to our community’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer, asexual elders, who have laid the stepping stones for us today.” – GLCH’s first LGBTIQA+ Consultation Group