Breast Cancer Screening:
In 2009 NHS Plymouth entered into an 18 month Grant Aid agreement with Plymouth Pride for the purpose of meeting our requirements under the National Pacesetters Programme for community engagement (PPI), improved data collection, promoting and increasing the uptake of cancer screening and for supporting our broader Corporate commitment to meeting the equalities agenda with regard to addressing 'sexuality' through policy and workforce development. As such we provided grant aid to Plymouth Pride for consulting with hard to reach members of the community (asking them to explore access and quality issues) and for production of targeted health promotion materials. In addition Plymouth Pride provided bespoke training to our workforce with regard to adherence to new Equality Act legislation (October 2010), advised on data collection through an enhanced staff census, sat as an expert witness on a specific policy development group, and provided general awareness of health inequalities with regard to sexuality and gender.
This agreement to work in partnership with Plymouth Pride demonstrates how NHS Plymouth have both recognised and built upon strengths acknowledged as coming from within the Third Sector for not only promoting equality but for specifically improving future clinical service provision - as well as providing opportunities for improving the working lives of our own staff who may identify as being either lesbian or gay. The outcomes achieved through this grant aid to a Third Sector organisation have provided best use of NHS resources whilst enabling investment in a fledgling organisation as a future potential supplier / provider of services to other Public Sector bodies.