Canberra’s first dedicated GP clinic for the LGBTIQA+ community is set to open in Turner next month, following a national survey that found many LGBTIQA+ people experienced stigma, discrimination and abuse at mainstream clinics.

The ACT government has provided pilot funding to health and social support provider, Meridian, for the set-up and infrastructure of a clinic with one GP to work 10 hours a week.

The demand for peer-led health services is needed, according to a national survey conducted by Collective Action, which found that LGBTIQA+ people avoided or delayed accessing health services due to a fear of being judged.

“LGBTIQA+ people want services where they feel safe to be themselves, comfortable to discuss their gender and sexuality, and free from judgement,” says Alison Barclay, founder of Collective Action.

“Many respondents highlighted that peer-led services have had an immensely positive impact on their health and wellbeing, with some noting that access to these services has been lifesaving.”

Meridian currently provides psychology and counsellor support; however, its wellbeing services are always at capacity.

“There’s more community need than there is capacity to respond to that,” Ms Barclay says. “Meridian does have a wait list and they really worry about people being left on a wait list when they need help, and they won’t get help from mainstream services. They have a clinical care coordinator, who meets with everybody first and checks in about their needs and triages that, to decide how quickly they need that care.”

Ms Barclay says the national survey, which canvassed 562 people nationwide from the LGBTIQA+ community, is the first study of its kind at this scale, which looks specifically at the value of peer-led services.

“This survey is about looking at the difference of experiences between mainstream services and peer-led services, to understand why you need both. We need integrated services. They need to be delivered from a safe space where community knows they can go. Even if the clinician isn’t queer, it’s surrounded by peer support and embedded in a peer organisation.”

Canberra doctor Clara Tuck Meng Soo, who was known for her commitment to the LGBTIQA+ community, closed her practice two months ago. According to newsGP, Dr Soo says “we found that we weren’t getting the support from governments to provide the non-judgmental and comprehensive healthcare that we really wanted to give all our patients, including people from many disadvantaged communities”.

Meridian is located at Havelock House, 85 Northbourne Avenue, Turner; www.meridianact.org.au

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