LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual. Different people may define their gender and sexuality in other ways, and you can view a glossary of LGBTQIA+ terms on Stonewall's website. 

Anyone can experience mental health difficulties, but we know that those with LGBTQIA+ identities can face additional challenges such as stigma and discrimination, as well as difficulties in accessing the right support.  

There are a range of support services available that offer specific support and advice to those who identify as LGBTQIA+. 

  • Outline provides support to people with their sexuality and gender identity, including but not limited to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans community of Surrey, primarily through a helpline, website and support groups. 

  • Outcrowd: social support group for sexuality and gender identity 

  • Mind Out: mental health service offering advice and information over the phone, by email or via our online chat service. 

  • Albert Kennedy Trust – supports young LGBTQIA+ people aged 16-25. 

  • Gendered Intelligence – a trans-led charity that runs youth groups in London, Leeds and Bristol, working to increase the quality of life for trans, non-binary and questioning young people. 

  • Imaan – a charity that supports LGBTQIA+ Muslims and provides an online forum where people can share experiences and ask for help. 

  • LGBT Consortium– lets you search their database of LGBTQIA+ groups, projects and organisations to find services near you, including mental health services, self-help and support groups. 

Ramadan is an important month during the year for Muslims and it is considered a period for self-development and reflection. During this month, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. Those who are fasting experience changes in eating and sleeping habits, as well as daily routine. These changes can impact our physical and mental health. Click here to find out more about how Ramadan can affect mental health.

See below a timeline from 1950 to 2022 we have put together representing some key events throughout the years celebrating black NHS workers. 

1950 

  • Granadan-born David Pitt (later Lord Pitt) sets up a medical practice in London.
  • Brighton General Hospital recruits black nurses for the first time! 

1976 

  • Beverley trained as a Registered Nurse in Nigeria in 1976. 
  • Beverley joined Whiston Hospital in 1992 as a Theatre Sister and then progressed to become a Sterile Services Manager. 

1983 

  • Carol Forrester began her NHS career in 1983 as Clerical Officer within the Health Records Department at the Christie Hospital in Manchester. 

2003 

  • Ndebele is a Black Zimbabwean and was born in 1958. He started working for the NHS in November 2003 as a Health Promotion Specialist for African Communities and Sexual Health. 

2008 

  • The percentage of Black and Ethnic Minority staff in the NHS workforce in the North West is the saem as in the wider population. 
  • BME staff are still currently not represented at all levels in the workforce. 

2014 

  • Two-fifths of all NHS Trusts in London still had zero BME board members.

2019 

  • 19.7% of staff working for NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England were from a black and minority ethnic (BME) background. This has increased overtime. 

2022

  • According to NHS England, 42% of medical staff within the NHS are from a BME background. 

BAATN is the home of the largest community of Counsellors and Psychotherapists of Black, African, Asian and Caribbean Heritage in the UK. One of the primary aims of BAATN is to address the inequality of access to appropriate psychological services for Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean people, which is a well-recognised reality. BAATN offers Practitioner Spaces, which are healing and learning spaces for therapists and others in the helping professions. There are Practitioner Spaces specifically for those of Black, African, South Asian Caribbean and People of Colour heritages and all heritages.

Boloh provides culturally informed signposting, advice and therapeutic support to children, young people and adults from minority ethnic communities. The team of specialist advisors and therapists work in a culturally informed manner and are knowledgeable about the lived experiences of people from these communities. 

Black Minds Matter UK is a fully registered charity in the UK connecting Black individuals and families with free therapy by qualified and accredited Black therapists, empowering Black individuals with support and safe spaces, every step of the way.

Be My Hope is a community group that promotes social inclusion among people from minority ethnic backgrounds across Surrey. They provide emotional support, support groups, workshops, as well as information & signposting.

Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum runs projects to help minoritized ethnic people across the county to feel a part of their community, improve their wellbeing and learn new skills for work and life.

Taraki works with Punjabi communities to reshape approaches to mental health by focusing on awareness, education & peer support.

Each person has a brain that is unique to them. Most people are neurotypical, which means their brain works in a way that society expects. People who are neurodivergent have brains that function, learn and process information differently, and this can look different from person to person. The abilities and strengths of people who are neurodiverse are a huge asset to society.

Being neurodivergent can come with barriers and challenges, and there is plenty of information and support available for neurodiverse colleagues:

  • The National Autistic Society offers support and guidance for autistic people and their families. They provide a list of local and national support options, an online autism community and guide to asking for reasonable adjustments. They also have a Surrey branch offering support groups.  
  • The British Dyslexia Association provides information and advice around dyslexia and dyscalculia, including your rights to reasonable adjustments at your workplace.
  • ADHD Aware provide information and resources about living with ADHD, as well as free online support groups run by volunteers with lived experience of neurodiversity.
  • Royal College of Nursing website provides information around neurodiversity, including support for neurodiverse colleagues. They outline suggested reasonable adjustments, strategies and further resources.
  • Autistic Doctors International offer confidential peer support and advocacy to autistic doctors.
  • The Society for Neurodiversity (S4Nd) supports people who identify as neurodivergent, including their families and friends. They offer an unique, online community area where you can find practical help and resources, as well as take part in social, creative, therapeutic and learning activities.

Scope is a disability equality charity in England and Wales. They provide practical information and emotional support when it's most needed, and campaign to create a fairer society. Scope has a free disability helpline, practical information, as well as advice & support.

Living Made Easy is brought to you by the DLF, the charity previously known as the Disabled Living Foundation. They provide free impartial advice and information on solutions, gadgets, adaptations and aids to make life easier, for individuals, unpaid carers and those working in caring professions and service providers. 

PurpleSpace is a networking and professional development hub for disabled employees, network and resource group leaders and allies from all sectors and trades. PurpleSpace has an exclusive selection of practical assitance and resources that help drive culture change on disability.

British Deaf Association (BDA) is the UK’s leading membership organisation and registered charity run by Deaf people for Deaf people. The BDA delivers a range of services to achieve its aims of empowering Deaf people to overcome difficulties that they face on a daily basis. Their website offers a range of information and resources.

National Autistic Society provides in-depth advice and guidance on the challenge’s autistic people and their families face. They offer an online community for autistic people and their families to meet like-minded people and share their experiences.

Mencap provides a free helpline and advice service as well as a free online community. Their services range from helping someone join in with local leisure activities, providing advice and information on things like employment and education, helping someone to live independently for the first time, and even things like reporting a crime to the police.

Side by Side is Mind's online community where you can listen, share, and be heard, it is a safe place where you can talk about how you are feeling and connect with others. The online community is open 24/7.

Disability Rights UK prides itself on its high-quality information provision developed by and for disabled people. Their factsheets and guides provide basic information about benefits, tax credits, social care and other disability-related issues. There are also several helplines within Disability Rights UK that provide information on a variety of issues.

The Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) offer a helpline that advises and assists individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights, across England, Scotland and Wales.

NHS Employers provide a range of information on supporting disabled staff in the workplace.

Acas are an independent public body that work with employers and employees to improve workplace relationships. Their website offers a range of information around supporting disabled people at work.

  • The Balance App & Dimensions (a charity supporting people with learning disabilities) together have created an easy read booklet about the menopause.
  • The Balance website also has lots of podcasts surrounding the menopause including managing menopause whilst living with physical disabilities, and the relationship between mood, mental health and hormones.
  • Balance app, founded by GP & menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson, allows you to track your symptoms, & access a wide range of personalised resources for perimenopause & menopause, including generating a health report for you based on your symptoms.
  • The Menopause Charity: offers resources and information about menopause to help educate people and bring awareness to menopause. They offer a menopause symptom checker to help track and manage symptoms.
  • Queer menopause is a website that lists a range of inclusive menopause resources including research, podcasts, books & groups.
  • Black women in menopause offers live events, support and information.
  • Black menopause & beyond is a podcast that explores menopause, midlife, and beyond with Anita Powell.
  • The Natural Menopause Method is a nutritional guide to managing symptoms of menopause.
  • Holland & Barrett offer free online consultation with trained advisors who can provide support in a range of languages.
  • NHS website offers advice on how to save money with a prescription prepayment certificate, which can be used for HRT prescriptions.
  • Menopause Cafe is a charity, running pop-up events worldwide, where people drink tea, eat cake and talk about the Menopause, you can use their interactive map to find a menopause café near you.
  • To find out more about nutrition and healthy eating during the Menopause, the British Nutrition Foundation and The Menopause Charity both provide useful information.
  • Confidence in the Menopause is a CPD accredited course available to anyone working in healthcare that can help to improve your knowledge of menopause care, there is a free taster available.

JAMI provides free, professional, emotional support for anyone affected by a mental health problem in the Jewish community.

Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum provides a list of over 600 faith organisations in Surrey, including interfaith forums.

Lateef project offers free multi-lingual Islamic counselling to adults who are looking for faith-centred support.

The Sikh Helpline is a free, professional & confidential telephone counselling and email inquiry service, available 24 hour a day, 7 days a week.

Faith & Mental Wellness App provides an online community, faith & mental health related resources

Good Thinking App provides tailored wellbeing resources/support for faith & belief communities.

Strong Men is a bereavement charity for men. They offer ‘Man2Man’ which is a telephone-based peer support service from a trained Strong Men volunteer with first-hand experience of losing a loved one. They offer up to six weeks of peer support.

Respect Men's Advice Line offer non-judgmental support, practical advice and information. Their focus is to increase the safety of men experiencing domestic abuse (and the safety of any children) by providing confidential support. Helpline: 0808 8010327, Mon–Fri 10am-8pm or email: info@mensadviceline.org.uk

Men’s Minds Matter: website offers mental health and wellbeing information and resources for men.

Andy’s Man Club: men’s suicide prevention charity, offering weekly, free-to-attend, peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online to men aged 18+.

Humen: Gym for Your Mind – provide free, confidential, non-clinical safe spaces for men to not only talk, but to listen and connect on a regular basis.

Mentell: provides circles for men aged 18+ to talk in a safe and confidential space, free from advice and judgement. Online or in person.

Men’s Sheds: find a local ‘men’s shed’ where you can pursue practical interests at leisure. They focus on social connection, friendship building, sharing skills and health & wellbeing.

Man talk provide a podcast helping to normalise conversations around men’s mental health.

MANUP? Is a mental health charity providing podcasts & videos– speaking to men with lived experiences and discuss a variety of topics.