The London Hospices LGBT Network was launched this week at an event at Royal Trinity Hospice. The Network has been founded to improve end of life care for LGBT people and better support LGBT hospice staff and volunteers.

Over 40 people attended the event on Monday 2^nd October including representatives from 6 hospices as well as national charities including Hospice UK, Stonewall and Compassion in Dying.

Speakers at the event included Dr Katherine Bristowe from the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College Hospital and Kate Oliver from the policy team at Marie Curie. They were later joined by Dallas Pounds, Chief Executive of Trinity, and Peter Mercer of Stonewall, for a Question and Answer session.

The new Network aims to promote equality, diversity and inclusion of LGBT people; provide leadership, support and education for all staff and volunteers on relevant LGBT issues; and to raise awareness of hospice care in LGBT communities.

Dallas Pounds, Trinity’s Chief Executive, said, “It was fantastic night with a wide range of representatives from organisations supporting, researching and advocating for LGBT communities in London. We hope this is the first of many successful events for the Network.”