NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has confirmed its commitment to creating a safe and inclusive place for all staff, patients and visitors, by installing new artworks at two of its hospitals.
The installations, at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and Inverclyde Royal Hospital (IRH), are the perfect way to round off Pride Month, during which NHSGGC – through its LGBTQ+ Staff Forum – held a number of events to celebrate the diversity within our staff and the wider population of Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The QEUH work has been installed in the atrium giving great visibility to our thousands of staff, patients and visitors who pass through the hospital every day.
It consists of an image of the Pride flag, alongside a celebration of key milestones in Scotland’s equality journey over the past 40 or so years.
It was facilitated by Artisan Artworks, who have close links to LGBTQ+ Community Youth groups and provide work placements for care experienced young people, and painted by young artists Hana Lindsay and Skye Carty.
The artwork at the IRH consists of a corridor adorned with painted floor to ceiling wall panels – each one in a different colour of the Pride flag – and ending in a depiction of the Pride flag. Designed by Reece McDonald – a member of the Estates & Facilities team at the IRH – and painted by artists from Artisan Artworks, it has been created to celebrate and honour a wide community of staff at the hospital, and across Inverclyde.
Jackie Sands, Senior Arts and Health Leadat NHSGGC, said: “NHSGGC is committed to providing safe and welcoming surroundings for all its staff, patients and visitors, and our Arts in Health Programme has a critical role to play in achieving that goal.
“After some considerable planning, it is particularly satisfying to see these artworks revealed in Pride Month, and I am glad that young people and queer artists have been involved so closely in their creation.
“I hope that you are proud of your work and the contribution you have made towards raising public awareness about LGBTQ+ history and increasing feelings of safety and welcome for all members of our community in our healthcare environments.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to creating an inclusive organisation where colleagues feel empowered to be their authentic selves and patients receive the best possible person-centred care, free from discrimination and fear.
The artworks, which were paid for through funding from the NHSGGC Endowment Fund, are a visible commitment to NHSGGC’s focus on inclusion and its specific equality outcomes, whereby “NHSGGC is perceived to be a safe and inclusive place by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans people”. The outcome was agreed alongside seven other outcomes covering the protected characteristics of Age, Disability, Race, Religion or Belief and Pregnancy and Maternity.
Andrew Wyllie, Senior Unscheduled Care Nurseand chair of the NHSGGC LGBTQ+ Staff Forum, said: “These works are a symbol of solidarity for the entire LGBTQ+ community, and have been developed with our LGBTQ+ staff forum.
“The artworks signify that our hospitals and other work locations are a safe place for everyone and inclusive of everyone’s gender identities and sexual orientations, and we were pleased to be able to have this in place to round off Pride 2024.”
For further information on NHSGGC’s commitment to equalities in health, go to: NHSGGC – Equalities in Health
