JAYNE Mugglestone is a woman with a mission.

She has been employed by Bolton Community Trust to research the health needs of lesbians living in Bolton and Wigan.

A lesbian herself, Jayne knows the problems only too well and says she is determined to do something to address the ignorance, misunderstanding and prejudice which exists within the two towns.

One of her greatest problems so far has been finding the information and literature relating to lesbian health issues.

"There's plenty of information for gays and heterosexual, yet I've found just two leaflets for lesbians and both give conflicting advice," she said.

Cynics might question why such a post is funded, but she says it is because lesbians feel isolated and unable to talk to health professionals in an open manner that they often lose out.

Having only been in post since May, Jayne's initial work has been on research, which has shown that one of the main concerns of lesbians is "coming out" to a doctor, nurse or other health professional and what their reactions might be.

"When people inquire about status, they ask if you're single, married, co-habit and assume it's with a man. It may seem like a simple thing, but straight away a lesbian has to either start lying or be honest and risk the reaction of the questioner.

"Hospital visiting is again an issue. If you're a lesbian visiting your partner in hospital, any gesture of affection can so easily be frowned upon, yet why?"

As the number of young people committing suicide and inflicting harm upon themselves continues to rise, so the number of young lesbians attempting either is disproportionate.

One of the next steps for Jayne is to discover just what lesbians who live locally want from their health service and how she and her colleagues can best meet those needs.

A comprehensive survey is about to get underway and Jayne is looking forward to speaking to women whose

Asked about the salary for this position, a spokesperson for Bolton Community Healthcare Trust said the Trust "was not prepared to reveal the salary of any member of staff."

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