Sexual orientation
Workforce Breakdown
Trend analysis of sexual orientation over the last six years indicates that the proportion of staff members who report identifying themselves as “Heterosexual” has remained relatively steady at around 76% to 77%. The numbers of those who did not provide information or who “Prefer not to say” has fallen by 2.0% over this time. To help improve the quality of information the Recruitment Team ensures that new members of staff completing engagement forms are asked to complete all parts of the Equal Opportunities Information section of the engagement form, reminding them that replying “Prefer not to say” is an acceptable response, and preferable to not providing any information.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual | 76.7% | 74.6% | 76.0% | 77.0% | 77.3% | 76.8% |
| No information provided | 14.4% | 15.8% | 14.9% | 14.3% | 13.3% | 12.2% |
| Prefer not to say | 6.9% | 7.4% | 7.0% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 7.1% |
| Gay / lesbian | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| Bisexual | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Other | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
The quality of information held on the declared sexual orientation of members of staff has improved over the years at NHS GJ, as can be seen in the decrease in the proportion of staff for whom no information is held. This can be seen when compared to other Boards, where the proportion of staff for whom no information has been provided on sexual orientation tends to be higher (NHS Scotland Workforce Statistics release as at 31 March 2022):
| Sexual orientation - no information provided | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Board / Area | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| NHS Scotland | 28.7% | 28.8% | 29.8% | 26.3% | 24.9% |
| West of Scotland Region | 32.8% | 34.2% | 37.0% | 34.9% | 32.2% |
| NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 29.6% | 30.8% | 38.1% | 38.7% | 36.3% |
| National Health Boards | 36.0% | 32.9% | 37.8% | 29.4% | 28.2% |
| NHS Golden Jubilee | 14.4% | 15.8% | 14.9% | 14.3% | 13.3% |
Recruitment Activity
The table below highlights the number and proportion of new starters in the monitored period, split by declared sexual orientation:
| Sexual orientation | Headcount | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual | 313 | 77.7% |
| Prefer not to say | 34 | 8.4% |
| No information provided | 28 | 6.9% |
| Gay / lesbian | 13 | 3.2% |
| Bisexual | 11 | 2.7% |
| Other | 4 | 1.0% |
| NHS GJ Total | 403 | 100.0% |
Training Activity
As can be seen from the chart below training provided during the period under review by sexual orientation almost exactly matches the proportion expected for that group as a proportion of the workforce.
Career Progression
The great majority of promoted staff have declared themselves to be “Heterosexual” – 110 out of 139 promoted posts (79.1%), which is slightly more than the proportion of staff as a whole who identify as “Heterosexual” (76.8%). 13 (9.4%) promoted members of staff did not provide any information on their sexual orientation, while 11 (7.9%) preferred not to say. Information on the sexual orientation of the colleagues who were promoted who identify as “Gay/Lesbian”, “Bisexual” or “Other” cannot be provided, as the numbers are too low.
Leavers
During the period under review, 78.7% of leavers identified as “Heterosexual”, compared to 76.8% of the workforce. 13.7% of leavers did not provide any information on their sexual orientation, in comparison to 12.2% of the workforce. The proportion of leavers who identify as “Gay/Lesbian”, “Bisexual” or “Other” cannot be provided, as the numbers are too low.
