60 seconds with....Nick Porteous
Tell us what you do and where you work.
I’m currently a bed manager for Renal and Urology services part of the specialist medicine division at the Royal London Hospital. My job is to ensure that patients both elective and emergency get allocated inpatient beds for their stay in hospital and assist with discharges on a daily basis. I am also the Co-Chair of the Barts Health LGBTQ+ Network group making sure that we are an inclusive and diverse Trust supporting LGBTQ+ Staff and patients.
Tell us about your experience at Barts Health as a staff member who openly supports LGBTQ+? Has it been positive or negative?
My experience being an openly out proud gay man at Barts health has been very positive. I have been able to be open and honest with colleagues about who I am, and they have been very supportive which has allowed me to perform to the best of my ability. Over the years, I have not always had a positive experience telling people who I am and being accepted without some form of prejudice. I am glad at Barts Health, we are an inclusive and diverse employer allowing people to be who they are in the work environment.
Why do you think it’s important for Barts Health to have an LGBTQ+ Diversity Network?
Employee network groups are a driving force behind significant changes in the workplace. To create a platform to enable staff to come together and transform organisational culture and challenge perceptions. Organisations now also recognise that staff diversity network groups are integral to the success of an organisation’s efforts to embed their values and fulfill their commitment to equality, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity equality. The very existence of an LGBTQ+ employee network sends a bold statement about the values and intentions of an organisation. Such a move serves to support all staff, this shows that employers believe people perform better when they can be themselves, even when it is difficult to achieve such a thing.
The LGBTQ+ network responds effectively to the challenges of supporting LGBT staff and patients with the understanding that transforming workplace cultures requires effort, over time and that it’s never too early to plant a seed. Networks influence keeping the spotlight on discrimination and can offer a practical means to establish positive and lasting change.
We hope that our LGBTQ+ network will encourage staff within the organisation to be confident in the steps we can take to begin to create the space and voice for LGBTQ+ staff, even if to begin with, it’s a very small one. Also despite our differences the aim is equality inclusion and diversity for all.
How is Barts Health becoming more accessible for LGBTQ+ staff and patients?
The LGBTQ+ network has looked at ways of making the network more accessible to everyone. Each of the main 4 sites have regular site based meetings led by the two LGBTQ+ site leads for each site. There will be a main LGBTQ+ network meeting every two months which will move across each site, the introduction of Barts Health Rainbow Lanyards and badges are on the way and should be with us by the end of February 2019. There will be a WeShare page for LGBTQ+ which will have loads of useful information including contact details for site leads and Co-Chairs etc. Each Trust site has a dedicated Co-Chair who supports and works with senior management teams; also we have a dedicated twitter account which is regularly updated with information. Our twitter handle is @BartsLGBT_Group. If you want to know more please join us show your support make a difference you can be LGBTQ+ or an Allie everyone is welcome, WeCare with Pride.
Who is you LGBTQ+ hero and why?
I have two heroes of my time which are Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black. Their work on educating people around being inclusive and valuing diversity. Also, the strength they have shown despite some negativity, and their achievement to make LGBTQ+ people’s voices heard, through sport and film is a credit to the LGBTQ community and one that should be commended. This inspires me to want to do more to support our LGBTQ+ staff and patients in making sure there voices are heard across the Trust and also to drive cultural to support equality, diversity and inclusion.
What does your LGBTQ+ Network role involve?
I am one of two Co-chairs, my role in the LGBTQ+ network requires diplomatic and leadership skills working with senior management within the Trust towards a positive equality, inclusion and diversity agenda, paving the way forward on LGBTQ+ issues effecting staff and patients. This means working between network meetings with internal and external parties and representing the organisation and staff. Also I am the Co-Chair support to both the Royal London Hospital and Newham Hospital and support the site leads on each site. I am happy to say that the network has some achievement to celebrate such as supporting the delivery of the LGBT Health care needs awareness training programme and the development of a Trans People Guideline document for the Trust.
How can staff get involved with the network on site?
If you would like to get involved with the LGBTQ+ network across any of the sites contact us on email on LGBTQ@bartshealth.nhs.uk and we will email you the dates for your site meetings and put you in touch with you site leads. There are details on WeShare on the inclusion page, also look out for posters and flyers about meetings, also all dates for meeting are tweeted out from our twitter account @BartsLGBT_Group
How will we celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month at Barts Health?
Each site will be holding pop up stalls around each of the 4 main site locations untill the end of February 2019. The stalls will have loads of information around LGBTQ+ history, our network agenda and also information about the network and how you can get involved. Remember WeCare with Pride.
