Disability. Stonewall health briefing

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1 Disability Stonewall health briefing

2 Disability Stonewall Health Briefing If you require this publication in an alternative format please contact Stonewall s Information Service on or info@stonewall.org.uk to discuss your needs. info@stonewall.org.uk Written by April Guasp and James Taylor Survey data from Sigma Research Designed by Christian Tate

3 Stonewall Health Briefings Stonewall s pioneering research demonstrates that the specific needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual people are too often overlooked in the provision of healthcare. At the same time, many experience hostility, poor treatment or outright discrimination from healthcare professionals. Stonewall now works with NHS organisations to improve the health of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and make sure the NHS is aware of its legal duties to provide an equal service to everyone. This is one in a series of briefings on the health of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain today. Other briefings in the series: l Bisexuality l Domestic Abuse l Ethnicity l Experiences of Healthcare l Mental Health Disability People with disabilities can face challenges in everyday life, from being employed to taking part in sport. This briefing provides evidence that disabled (as defined under the Equality Act 2010) lesbian, gay and bisexual people are more likely to have experienced domestic abuse and attempted suicide and self-harmed in the last year than men and women in general. Many disabled lesbian, gay and bisexual people also report having problems with their weight or eating. Worryingly, older disabled lesbian, gay and bisexual people report they are not accessing the health and social care services they need. Healthcare services need to recognise that disabled people can be lesbian, gay and bisexual. Treating people with disabilities fairly and taking the whole of them into account, including their sexual orientation, is vital for an effective health service. 3

4 Lesbian and Bisexual Women Stonewall s research into the health needs of lesbian and bisexual women, Prescription for Change, has found clear differences in their health compared to that of women in general. Lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to have smoked and to drink heavily than women in general. Levels of attempted suicide and self-harm are much higher than in the wider population. In addition, half of lesbian and bisexual women have had a negative experience of healthcare in the past year. Of lesbian and bisexual women with a disability: l Almost three in ten (29 per cent) currently smoke l More than three in five (63 per cent) had a drink in the last week and three in ten drink three or more days a week compared to a quarter of women in general l Almost a third (30 per cent) have taken drugs in the last year, four times more likely than women in general l Almost half (46 per cent) have never been screened sexually transmitted infections l Thirteen per cent over the age of 25 have never had a cervical screen compared to seven per cent of women in general l Ten per cent have attempted to take their own life in the last year l Almost a third (31 per cent) have deliberately harmed themselves in the last year compared to 0.4 per cent of the general population l Three in ten (32 per cent) have had an eating disorder compared to 1 in 20 of the general population l Four in ten (39 per cent) have experienced domestic abuse in a relationship compared to one in four women in general l Three in five (61 per cent) have had negative experiences of healthcare in the past year l Over a third (35 per cent) are not out to their GP or other healthcare professionals 4

5 As a disabled gay woman who uses a wheelchair I experience double discrimination. People assume I am not a sexual being furthermore they presume I must have profound learning disabilities as my legs don t work! Sophia, 44, West Midlands It is presumed because you are disabled you aren t entitled to have or want sex and no other lesbians are at all interested in any disabled lesbians. Helen, 61, South East There are also differences among lesbians and bisexual women who have disabilities and those who don t: l Lesbians and bisexual women who have a disability are more likely to have experienced domestic abuse in a relationship 39 per cent have compared to 24 per cent of lesbians and bisexual women who don t have a disability l Lesbians and bisexual women who have a disability are more likely to have had an eating disorder 32 per cent compared to 20 per cent of lesbians and bisexual women who don t have a disability l Lesbians and bisexual women who have a disability are also twice as likely to have attempted to take their own life in the last year (ten per cent compared to four per cent) and are more likely to have deliberately harmed themselves in the last year (31 per cent compared to 18 per cent of lesbians and bisexual women who don t have a disability) l Lesbians and bisexual women who have a disability drink less 30 per cent drink three or more days a week compared to 44 per cent of lesbians and bisexual women who don t have a disability l Lesbians and bisexual women who have a disability are also less likely to take illegal drugs 30 per cent have taken illegal drugs in the last year compared to 36 per cent of lesbians and bisexual women who don t have a disability 5

6 Gay and Bisexual Men Stonewall s Gay and Bisexual Men s Health Survey demonstrates that their health needs are not being met, and there are areas of significant concern most notably in mental health and drug use that have been overlooked by health services which too often focus solely on gay and bisexual men s sexual health. Of gay and bisexual men with a disability: l More than a quarter (29 per cent) currently smoke compared to 22 per cent of men in general l Seven in ten (69 per cent) had a drink in the last week and more than a third (37 per cent) drink on three or more days per week as do 35 per cent of men in general l More than half (55 per cent) have taken drugs in the last year compared to just 12 per cent of men in general l Seven per cent have attempted to take their own life in the last year. Just 0.4 per cent of men in general attempted to take their own life in the same period l One in six (15 per cent) have harmed themselves in the last year compared to just 1 in 33 men in general who have ever harmed themselves l More than one in five (23 per cent) have had problems with their weight or eating in the last year compared to four per cent of men in general l Two-thirds (63 per cent) have experienced at least one incident of domestic abuse from a family member or partner since the age of 16 compared to 17 per cent of men in general l One in five (22 per cent) have never been tested for any sexually transmitted infection l Over a quarter (27 per cent) have never had an HIV test l Almost half (45 per cent) who have accessed healthcare services in the past year have had a negative experience related to their sexual orientation l One in four (25 per cent) are not out to their GP or healthcare professionals 6

7 Accessing sexual function help has been hard as a disabled person. Alex, 46, North East I feel I have had an inadequate response to requests for help with dealing with self-image around my disability and sexuality. I ve had six counselling sessions which proved worthless. Steve, 39, West Midlands I have been suffering from depression due to bullying since I was 15. I ve been on prescribed medication since then and still feel that there is little help out there. Charlie, 22, London There are also differences among gay and bisexual men who have disabilities and those who don t: l Gay and bisexual men who have a disability are more likely to have experienced domestic abuse from a family member or partner since the age of per cent have compared to 47 per cent of gay and bisexual men who don t have a disability l Gay and bisexual men who have a disability are more likely to have had problems with their weight or eating in the last year 23 per cent compared to 11 per cent of gay and bisexual men who don t have a disability l Gay and bisexual men who have a disability are also three times more likely to have attempted to take their own life in the last year (seven per cent compared to two per cent) and are more likely to have deliberately harmed themselves in the last year (fifteen per cent compared to five per cent of gay and bisexual men who don t have a disability) 7

8 Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people Stonewall research highlights the isolation and loneliness many older (55 and over) gay people in Britain experience. Many have faced discrimination earlier in their lives which has had a profound impact on how confident they feel about how health and social care services will be able to understand and meet their needs. Of older lesbian, gay and bisexual people with a disability: l Almost two in five (37 per cent) did not access health services they felt they needed in the last year compared to 28 per cent of disabled heterosexual people l One in four (23 per cent) did not access mental health services they felt they needed in the last year compared to just six per cent of disabled heterosexual people l One in five (19 per cent) did not access social care services they felt they needed in the last year compared to ten per cent of disabled heterosexual people I have a history of mental illness though am well now. Sometimes I am concerned about being both physically and mentally ill and the associated isolation. Sue, 60, South East 8

9 What the health service can do A lack of visibility and awareness of disabled lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the health service has a profound impact on how they interact with health and social care staff. There are a number of steps health services can take to begin to improve the health and experience of disabled lesbian, gay and bisexual people: l Have visible policies in place which protect disabled gay people from discrimination and harassment l Use images of disabled lesbian, gay and bisexual people in literature, information and campaigns l Train staff to understand disabled people have a sexual orientation I think there needs to be greater recognition of the needs of gay disabled people. Jo, 61, North West 9

10 The Studies The findings in this briefing are taken from a number of Stonewall publications: Gay and Bisexual Men s Health Survey In 2011 Stonewall and Sigma Research asked gay and bisexual men from across Britain to complete a survey about their health. 6,861 men responded making it the largest survey of its kind in the world. Sixteen per cent of respondents said that they have a disability, including physical and mental disabilities, which limits their activities in some way. Prescription for Change: Lesbian and bisexual women s health check 2008 In 2007 Stonewall and De Montfort University asked lesbians and bisexual women from Britain to complete a survey about their health. 6,178 women responded making it the largest survey of its kind in Europe. Fourteen per cent of respondents said that they have a disability, including physical and mental disabilities, which limits their activities in some way Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People in Later Life In 2010, YouGov surveyed a sample of 2,086 people over the age of 55 across England, Scotland and Wales. The sample comprised 1,050 heterosexual and 1,036 lesbian, gay and bisexual participants. Twenty three per cent of respondents said that they have a disability, including physical and mental disabilities, which limits their activities in some way. 10

11 Further Resources Working with older lesbian, gay and bisexual people A Guide for Care and Support Services Sexual Orientation: A Guide for the NHS Working with older lesbian, gay and bisexual people: A Guide for Care and Support Services Healthy Lives For more NHS specific case-studies, best practice examples and research visit Stonewall publications All Stonewall publications cited in this briefing are free to download from For hard copies of any of these publications visit 11

12 Disability Stonewall Health Briefing