Should all patients be asked about their sexual orientation?

Yes—Richard Ma

After decades of campaigning by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) charities such as Stonewall and the LGBT Foundation, sexual orientation became one of the nine protected characteristics written into the Equality Act 2010.1 It would seem a logical and welcome step for NHS England to include sexual orientation monitoring (SOM) in health and social care systems.2 In practice all professionals would ask patients how they define their sexuality during every encounter. Patients can, of course, refuse to answer.

However, some doctors and patients have expressed concerns about this policy, citing reasons such as intrusion or invasion of privacy, fear of causing offence, doubts about relevance, data security, and that it is a tokenistic gesture that will not make a difference. While I understand these concerns, they result in inertia; and failure to act undermines hard fought rights of LGBT patients to better healthcare.