Welcome to our May update, where we take you through what’s been happening Inside OUTpatients over the past month.
Upcoming Community Conversation: Our Bodies, Our Stories
For the past few weeks, we have been preparing for the next event in our Community Conversations series. This time, we will be taking a closer look at the experiences of Black and Brown lesbian, bisexual and queer women’s experience of healthcare.
In healthcare settings, the voices of Black and Brown lesbian, bisexual, and queer women are too often overlooked. Racism, sexism, and homophobia in the medical system can overlap, creating an environment where people’s experiences are minimised or ignored.
The next event in our Community Conversations series aims to challenge this by creating a space where Black and Brown lesbian, bisexual, and queer women can share their experiences of illness, healthcare, and stigma with people who truly understand.
The evening will begin with a panel discussion. This will explore whose pain gets taken seriously in the medical system, and how bias can shape patient experiences and outcomes. We will then move into a talking circle, where participants are encouraged to share their own experiences.
The event will take place on 19 June 2026 in East London. Tickets are free, but limited to 30 places, so make sure you book your spot now!
Yoga sessions for our peer support groups
This month, we have been working with Grace from Free To Be Yoga Bristol to deliver yoga sessions for our peer support group. Grace is a yoga teacher living with and beyond cancer. She therefore brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the sessions.
Cancer can profoundly affect people’s relationship with their bodies. As well as the illness itself, having so many tests and treatments can make people feel less at home in their own skin. For some people, yoga can offer a different way to reconnect with their bodies, helping to restore a sense of comfort, and trust. Practicing alongside others living with and beyond cancer, and being guided by a teacher from the community, can also help participants feel safer and more comfortable taking part.
Our Letter to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer
Last month, we wrote to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Cancer. We asked them to hold a special session on LGBTIQ+ inequalities in cancer care. APPGs are groups of MPs and peers who come together to focus on a particular issue. They can share evidence, produce reports, and sometimes make recommendations to government.
Recent data from the Office for National Statistics found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are 12% more likely to die of cancer than heterosexual people in England and Wales. We believe this needs the urgent attention of decision-makers. Nobody should face poorer cancer outcomes because of who they are or who they love.
We would therefore like the opportunity to share our concerns with the APPG, and encourage members to work with us to improve care for all.
Lung Cancer Screening Campaign
Next month, we will be launching our latest campaign with Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance. The campaign aims to improve awareness and uptake of Lung Cancer Screening among LGBTIQ people.
Research shows that LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to smoke, and are also more likely to avoid seeking healthcare, even when unwell. This combination can increase the risk of lung cancer while also making it harder to diagnose the disease early.
Our campaign aims to raise awareness of the lung cancer screening programme, while helping LGBTIQ+ people feel more confident, informed, and comfortable in accessing it.
We are currently in an exciting stage of campaign development and are nearly ready to launch in June. We will also be attending local Pride events across the Greater Manchester area throughout the summer, so keep an eye out for us.
If you live or work in Greater Manchester and would like to get involved in the campaign, please email ezra@outpatients.org.uk.
We’re hiring!
We are looking for an experienced Education and Policy Manager to help us engage cancer care professionals and decision-makers across the UK. If you are passionate about tackling LGBTIQ+ health inequalities, amplifying lived experience, and developing engaging, evidence-based education programmes, we would love to hear from you. We particularly welcome applications from people from marginalised communities.
Applications close on 20 May 2026.
Welcoming our new team member
This week, we are delighted to welcome our new Engagement Lead, Haz, to the team.
With a background in public policy, Haz will be leading our work to strengthen connections with the community, partner organisations, and decision-makers. Haz has previously volunteered with us at our annual conference and supported our policy work. We are thrilled to now have them joining the team in this new role.
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please contact jawadat@outpatients.org.uk.
Lived-Experience Advisory Panel
OUTpatients is a community organisation led by and for LGBTIQ+ people affected by cancer. We want to make sure the voices of our community are at the centre of every decision we make, and that we stay accountable to the people we support.
To help us do this, we created the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). The LEAP is a group of LGBTIQ+ people living with and beyond cancer who help guide our work. They review our plans, give advice, and make sure we are moving in the right direction.
On 29th April, the LEAP met with our CEO and Board of Trustees to look back on our five-year strategy and discuss the progress we have made so far. We also talked about what the next few years might look like for the cancer sector in a changing political landscape. This is helping us to figure out where we can best direct our efforts to improve care for our community.