THE Countess of Chester Hospital is set to become the first NHS organisation in England to pilot a new Sexual Orientation Monitoring Information Standard.

Health chiefs say recording patients’ sexual orientation will help staff provide safer, kinder and more effective care.

Released by NHS Digital in October 2017, the NHS Information Standard for Sexual Orientation Monitoring will “help The Countess better meet the needs of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) people through improved data collection”.

The standard, which was commissioned by NHS England and developed by the LGBT Foundation with consultation from key stakeholders, will provide a mechanism for recording the sexual orientation of all patients and service users aged 16 years and over across all health services.

Research by the LGBT Foundation has shown that LGB people are disproportionately affected by a range of health inequalities and experience significant barriers to accessing health and care services.

The research also pinpointed that better sexual orientation monitoring is a vital step towards addressing these specific health inequalities and improving access to care.

Health chiefs say that recording sexual orientation will allow policy makers, commissioners and providers to better identify health risks and help support targeted preventative and early intervention for people who are Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual.

Sue Hodkinson, Executive Director of People and Organisational Development, said: “This is a significant milestone in promoting Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality not just at The Countess but throughout England.

“Recording sexual orientation will help us in our promise to provide safe, kind and effective care for all of our patients.”