Doctors slam MPs for ordering they ask patients ‘intrusive’ questions about their sexuality and gender

GPs and hospitals should quiz every patient on whether they are gay or transgender by the end of next year, MPs say.

The rules would also see OAP care homes asking residents about their sexual orientation and gender identity.

The recommendations have been made by the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee to help improve healthcare for sexual minorities.

Injustices “glare out wherever you look”, including in obesity rates, self-harm and mental health, its report claims.

It goes on:“If sexual orientation monitoring remains optional, health disparities will remain hidden across the services that choose not to implement it.

“In line with ethnicity monitoring, sexual orientation monitoring should be made mandatory across all NHS and state social care providers within the next 12 months.

“Any service provider who does not implement it should face fines at a level equivalent to those imposed for not monitoring ethnicity.”

'UNNECESSARILY INTRUSIVE'

But doctors and patient groups described the questions as “unnecessarily intrusive”.

Dr Peter Swinyard, chair of the Family Doctor Association, said: “These questions are laughable and will cause many people a lot of offence.

“I barely have time to address the medical issues of the patient sat in front of me, without quizzing them on their sexuality and gender identity.

“We need to be sensitive to the needs of LGBT people but asking every patient what they get up to in the bedroom is not the way to do it.”

Joyce Robins, from Patient Concern, said: Many patients will find these questions uncomfortable and unnecessarily intrusive.

“Why should it matter whether you are gay or not when you visit your doctor with a dodgy leg or bad back?”

But Laura Russell, of LGBT campaign group Stonewall, said: We welcome the call for all providers to implement sexual orientation and trans status monitoring.

“Doing this will help all health and social care providers meet their legal equalities duties, identify inequalities experienced by LGBT people, and develop plans to address these.”

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