Kas' story
"I’ve been at Solent for nearly four years now and you can’t put the culture here into words, it’s more like a feeling. I feel like I can be who I really am without being scared and I’m part of one big family who really care about me.
For ages I was unsure of who I really was, but earlier this year I came out as non-binary and the support I have had from the Trust is incredible. I’m part of an LGBTQ+ WhatsApp group, I have been given pronoun badges to help educate others about what pronoun to use when speaking with me, and I’ve even been educating my patients about what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, as they often ask me about what it means to be non-binary. They have been so welcoming, some even open up to me about their own family experiences which is wonderful. When you have the strength to show who you really are to people, it enables them to be completely open with you.
I work in the adult community nursing team in Southampton, visiting and caring for people in their own homes. The job is amazing and really rewarding and I have a great group of patients who I help care for. Now I’m coming to the end of my nursing degree, I’d really like to build up my own case load of patients and I also want to start some research into the care of LGBTQ+ patients with Dementia. The Trust is so supportive I feel like I can achieve anything here.
Solent is a special place, as I know I can walk into my manager’s office or speak to a colleague without fear of judgement. I feel respected, I feel included and I feel validated every day, and I don’t think you’re going to get that anywhere else."