Rochdale GP practice strikes gold for healthcare excellence

The Castleton GP Practice receive their Pride in Practice Gold Award, behind left to right: Amber Clarke, Barbara Mitchell, Angela Cockcroft, Karen Pearson, Hilary Cardona, Debbie McMillan, Dr Edwards, Marie Chadderton and Jane Gaunt. Accepting the award is Dr Schofield (front left) from Pride In Practice Manager, Laurence Webb

Castleton Health Centre has become the first in Rochdale to receive a gold award for excellence in lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) healthcare.

Staff at the GP practice recently took part in LGBT Foundation’s primary care quality assurance service, Pride in Practice. The service provides comprehensive training for all practice staff on how to support their lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans patients.

The award recognises the changes that the practice has made to provide better care for their patients, such as making sure trans patients are included in routine cancer screenings and introducing sexual orientation monitoring, as well as recognising the work that the practice were already doing to provide an inclusive service.

Commenting on receiving the award, Dr Schofield said: “Laurence from LGBT Foundation has helped us to make improvements to ensure that LGBT patients feel welcome and can be confident that they will receive a high standard of care at Castleton Health Centre.

"We are delighted to achieve a gold award and to hope that other Rochdale practices will follow our example. ”

Laurence Webb, Pride in Practice Manager, added: “The award was well-deserved, recognising that everyone working at the practice is committed to providing inclusive healthcare for everyone.”