PRINCESS Alexandra Hospital (PAH) in Harlow has apologised after a poster was found on display in the hospital that labelled Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBTG) as a “mental health disorder”.

The poster was discovered by Ellen Gibson, who was visiting the hospital.

She noticed the poster at the “right of the reception door at the urgent treatment centre”

As you can see from the poster it has a heading “Mental Health Disorders….Are you experiencing any of these”

There follows a list from Abuse to Workplace Mental Health”

Strangely enough, there doesn’t appear to be any contact details nor any National Health Service imagery.

Ms Gibson took to Twitter to share the sign.

A spokesperson for PAH confirmed that the sign was not an official material distributed by the health provider and has since been removed.

A PAH spokesperson said: “Please accept our apologies for any offence caused. Please let us know where the poster is displayed and we will get it removed.”

They later confirmed to YH that they had located sign and removed it.

YH has asked it they will attempt to trace the author’s of the poster.

Harlow Council’s Mental Health Champion, cllr Shannon Jezzard has reacted with deep concern about the poster. Cllr Jezzard said: “I was certainly shocked that a health institution would display such a poster for its patients.

“Whilst signalling people with mental health issues to the support they need – to lump in being LBGT+ (or LGBTG as per the poster) is abhorrent – considering that homosexuality became declassified as a mental illness by the WHO as recently as 1992.

The context of poster is not only bizarre, it is massively harmful and I am disappointed that this has been up at PAH in Harlow.

My solidarity goes out to the LBGT+ community in Harlow who may have been affected by this, and I do hope that PAH removes this poster ASAP and offers an explanation, ensuring this doesn’t happen again.

“We need to take mental health issues seriously, and I hope those responsible for this debacle are able to get the education obviously needed as a result”.