This month, our CEO headed to Brussels to present at the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) in Cancer Care Stakeholder Forum hosted by Youth Cancer Europe. This event brought together experts from across charity, industry, and policy to workshop a way forward for EDI across European cancer care both nationally and internationally. 

This event comes at a particularly important time for our organisation. In the UK, the LGBTIQ+ community is facing increasing political hostility both in healthcare settings and beyond. Alongside this, the NHS is undergoing significant change: there is a new 10 Year Health Plan, and we will soon see the new NHS Cancer Plan launched later in the year. Attending this event gave us the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the continent, sharing insights on the state of the queer sector in the UK, how we are building resilience in the face of adversity, and how we can shape more equitable practices in cancer care amongst all the current change. 

Promoting our vision of a more inclusive cancer care system is at the heart of our work at OUTpatients. As a leading voice of change, we want to inspire action in other countries and work towards a future where LGBTIQ+ equity can be a core consideration in all aspects of health policy, both in cancer and beyond.

We were pleased to see that our mission resonated strongly with attendees. We hope that our insights can inspire closer collaboration in the future as we, alongside the many other countries in attendance, continue to grow our LGBTIQ+ inclusion work within our respective health systems and services.

If you are leading an LGBTIQ+ cancer service, group, or project, get in touch to start a conversation with us today so we can make change possible, together.