Mick Hartley

A policy document on domestic abuse that doesn't mention women? Well, it's Stonewall-friendly.

NHS England has come under fire after it revealed that its domestic abuse policy for staff had “gender-neutral language” and did not include the words “woman” or “women”.

Health chiefs — in an application to be included in the LGBT lobby group Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list — highlighted that its policy said domestic abuse happens “regardless of gender”.

NHS England also revealed that its menopause policy is “LGBT inclusive” and has undergone “significant improvements” to “better support trans, non-binary and intersex employees”.

Stonewall had reviewed NHS ­England’s maternity policy to help ­“improve our language to be gender­inclusive”, it added, including using “pregnant employee” rather than “pregnant woman”.

What is it about trying to get into Stonewall's Top 100 Employers list that makes health chiefs go weak at the knees? And shouldn't health professionals, of all people, be aware of the importance of sex? It's basic biology.

Karen Ingala Smith, chief executive of Nia, a domestic and sexual violence charity working to end violence against women and girls, criticised Stonewall’s influence with NHS England.

She said: “If the NHS is content to let Stonewall reframe policies, especially those which have a disproportionate impact on women, then it’s creating conditions where sex discrimination can at best go unchecked and, at worst, put women at risk.”

This month it was revealed that more than 300 schools had been told to stop calling pupils “boys and girls” after signing up to another Stonewall scheme.

Steve Barclay, the former health secretary, wrote to ten leading national health organisations, including NHS England, last year, ordering them to review their membership of Stonewall. The Times obtained three of NHS England’s applications, from 2019, 2021 and 2022, to be included in Stonewall’s annual top 100 employers list. To get on the list — for which organisations are publicly celebrated as progressive — employers have to submit applications showing off their inclusive credentials. In its applications, NHS England said its domestic abuse policy included “gender-neutral language”, while a copy of the policy showed it did not include the words “woman” or “women”. It said it also had gender-neutral language in its parental policy and special leave policy. NHS England revealed that its menopause policy said: “It is important to acknowledge that transgender, non-binary and intersex workers may also experience the menopause.”

Oh fuck off. No it isn't.

Stonewall reviewed NHS England’s maternity, adoption and related parental support policy in 2017 to “ensure gender-inclusive language”. Examples of its gender-inclusive language included: “Every pregnant employee has the right to 52 weeks maternity leave.” NHS England said that colleagues could “add their personal pronouns on their email signature if they would like to” and that senior leaders had been doing so.

So-called LGBT allies at NHS ­England are asked to make pledges such as “committing to educating themselves further, to undergo or deliver training, to stand up for those around them”, the applications revealed. NHS rainbow lanyards are issued to members who make a pledge and staff are also given training on being a bi+ ally.