Health needs of women who have sex with women: Maybe new subspecialty is needed

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7437.463-a

BMJ 2004;328:463 (21 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7437.463-a

Letter

Health needs of women who have sex with women

Maybe new subspecialty is needed

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—The editorial by Hughes and Evans discussed thehealth needs of women who have sex with women.¹ NHS servicesare predominantly targeted using white, heterosexual imagery.How non-white, non-heterosexual people relate to these imagesand whether they would still access a service that used imageryirrelevant to their cultural references are debatable. Workis needed, with local initiatives and voluntary sector groupsin partnership, to develop appropriate campaigns and culturallyrelevant material to encourage equitable access.

Relevant materials are needed toencourage equitable access for women who have sex with women

Credit:CANADIAN PRESS/AP

Services also need to address the issue of cultural competencyboth in directly employed and contracted services. Diversityand equality are high on the NHS human resources agenda buthave been slow to infiltrate the medical hierarchy. Researchhas shown perceived disapproval acts as a barrier to accessingcare.² Targeted services for lesbian or . . . [Full text of this article]

Justin Varney, specialist registrar public health

South East London Public Health Network, London SE10 8EX Tank1275@aol.com