Presentation by Opening Doors London (ODL), a charity providing information and support services specifically for older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT+).
Minutes:
Councillor Coleman welcomed Jim Glennon, Richard Jackson and Maggie Jones from Opening Doors London. Explaining their interest and involvement with LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender) issues. Both Richard Jackson and Maggie Jones shared their personal stories which had eventually led to their association and work with Opening Doors London ODL. As volunteer ambassadors for ODL, they had worked with older LGBT+, people, providing support, friendship and help in navigating local health and social services. They had helped facilitate workshop events for older, LGBT+ people, fundraising and raising awareness at corporate training events.
Jim Glennon provided a detailed presentation regarding the work of ODL. Support was provided to over 2000 members, facilitating social groups across London in safe places. An outreach and befriending programme that complied with international equality standards ensured that support was available to a generation of older LGBT+ who had previously experienced abuse and rejection, during a time when had not been possible to be open about sexuality or gender within a hostile climate. Jim Glennon outlined the extensive range of activities supported and facilitated by ODL, which offered a safe and tolerant environment in which older LGBT+ people could share experiences and support others.
Richard Jackson recounted how electro medical treatment had been intended to “cure” LGBT+ and had been developed by the Maudsley hospital. It was removed after twenty years, having been recognised as ineffective. This controversial, conversion treatment had been delivered without aesthetic and aimed to make people feel repulsed by other gay people. Homosexuality was a punishable offence, and those found guilty were given the option of imprisonment or medical treatment. Side effects included scarring and memory loss, and many people either self-harmed or were suicidal.
Maggie Jones explained that many people from the older generation were subjected to abuse, and that this impacted on those in care homes as some individuals of that generation harboured homophobic attitudes. The issue was to ensure equity for LGBT+ groups, as distinct from equality, and therefore parity in treatment. It was explained that there was evidence to indicate that people were being treated differently and that CQC inspectors where aware of the issue. Care homes had improved their awareness and better increasingly better at understanding experience of LGBT+ older people through training.
Social isolation and loneliness were key issues for many older LGBT+ people, who did not have children, or had become estranged from their families. They might have moved from away from where they once had lived and were likely to live alone. They were also more likely to have experienced mental health problems, had higher rates of suicide, alcohol or drugs abuse, compared to heterosexuals. There was no suggestion that to be LGBT+ was to be mentally ill, but that this had resulted from the impact of the pressure, abuse and treatment experienced by LGBT+ people. There was a fear of going out into the community and an individual who was not robust, would find it difficult to support themselves and became quickly isolated. The befriending service offered by ODL helped individuals build trust, confidence and helped them to engage in the community around them. This was a counter-balance to their previous experiences and lack of trust. LGBT+ often had higher medical and social needs compared to heterosexuals, as they invariably lived alone and were therefore more reliant on local health and social care services.
Keith Mallinson welcomed the presentation from ODL observing that the Council had a history of being progressive on for example, homophobia and HIV issues. He recounted his experience with one GP who had continued to refer to a trans-gender patient as ‘he’ rather than ‘she’, which had been a contributory factor when she eventually took her own life.
It was recognised that it was important for the Council to know how to support the wider, LGBT+ cohort, ensuring that staff were trained and informed about LGBT+ issues. For example, older LGBT+ people in sheltered accommodation have sometimes experienced hostility from other residents, where training would have been helpful. Jim Grealy (Save Our Hospitals) commended the presentation and commented that it was often a matter of small things such as understanding how to sensitively ask questions about whether a person has a partner, rather than asking a gender specific question. The issue of identifying more precise numbers was complex, as sexuality remained hidden, which also made it difficult to measure. It was noted that the government action plan to address LGBT+ inequalities included the appointment of an LGBT+ tsar, and that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had also recognised that inspections should address and develop better quality care standards for LGBT+ communities.
Janet Cree welcomed the presentation and commented on the North West London perspective. She reported that Bethany Golding had led on a pride and practice initiative which was about to start. This was a fifteen-month long pilot working with LGBT+ groups and funded by the government equalities office, highlighting easy access to care and identifying issue that presented obstacles to care for LGBT+ communities. They would also be offering access to training and quality standards, sign-posting social prescribing. This was the optimal time in which to draw these issues together.
ACTION: Bethany Golding to link with ODL, to inform delivery of pride and practice initiative
Dr Spicer observed that the presentation went to the heart of the matter. The Long-term plan was to help people age well and to improve the standards of care in residential care homes. This presented a timely opportunity to ensure that this area of work remains on the agenda and could be included as part of the current training programme that had recently been implemented. The first tranche of training care home managers to enhance their skills had just concluded but there was an opportunity to build this into the course. It was acknowledged that there was a joint incentive for both commissioners and providers to consider how this could be influenced by developing measures that the CQC could build into the inspection’s framework.
Councillor Coleman asked how ODL were able to identify people that needed help. It was explained that ODL placed adverts in the press and worked with LGBT+ networks throughout London, using venues that were recognised as “safe” places. Richard Jackson added that there was a training course for people who wanted to volunteer with ODL. Maggie Jones reported the story of a 90-year-old person with cancer, who now had a support network in place, orchestrated through coming to the coffee mornings. These events were held in over 30 various London locations, that were small, shared spaces that could be nurtured.