One in 10 British health workers have heard their colleagues say LGBTI people can be ‘cured’, according to a major new study.

Released by Stonewall, the Unhealthy Attitudes study has surveyed 3,001 health and social care professionals from across the NHS and private sectors.

And according to the survey, 10% have been in a position where colleagues have expressed these beliefs – a figure that reaches 22% in London.

Jane, a psychotherapist based in the West Midlands, brought up a memory of when a colleague specifically promoted ‘gay cure’ treatment, something that has been condemned by the World Health Organization as ‘dangerous’ to a person’s physical and mental health.

‘A leaflet was put up on a work noticeboard that promoted gay aversion therapy,’ she said. ‘I brought this to the attention of my manager, who put the leaflet on her desk. It was taken from her desk and re-pinned on the noticeboard. I feel that the only two openly gay people in the team were given responsibility for a response to the issue on behalf of the team and it was kept secret from others.’

Bullying is also an issue, with 26% of LGB staff experiencing homophobic and biphobic abuse in the last five years. Three in five who hear these remarks don’t report it.

One in five staff that deals directly with patients also say they have heard colleagues make negative remarks about trans people, using the slurs ‘tranny’ and ‘she-male’.

And it goes further, with 28% of doctors saying they do not feel confident to respond to specific care needs of trans patients. 15% say the same for LGB patients.

‘I had this training because I specifically sought it out,’ Sophia, a doctor in the East Midlands said. ‘I don’t think it’s covered enough for most doctors’.

One in six, 17%, who received equality and diversity training said trans issues were not included.

Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive at Stonewall, said: ‘Health and social care services have a duty to treat people fairly and equally. Yet, as this report shows, there are worrying gaps in knowledge and training relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.

‘This is creating a healthcare system that treats both its LGBT patients and colleagues unfairly leading to inevitable on-going health inequalities.

‘Unhealthy Attitudes also contains some truly shocking revelations, such as evidence that high numbers of patient-facing staff witness colleagues stating their belief in a gay “cure”. This is incredibly harmful and dangerous and should be publicly denounced immediately.

‘We are releasing this research to highlight the importance of investing in and committing to LGBT equality. Stonewall, and LGBT people and organizations up and down the country, have the skills and resources to work with healthcare providers, health and social care education providers, NHS Trusts and social care organizations to achieve this. We want to ensure that everyone, everywhere is accepted without exception.’

Gay cure therapy is legal in the UK, but has been condemned by the NHS and the World Health Organization.