Equality and diversity
Commitment statement
The Equality Act (2010) has brought together and streamlined many strands of previous equality legislation in England, Scotland and Wales. It also introduces the new “public sector equality duty” (PSED), which is made up of the general equality duty which is supported by specific duties. The Act extends protection to the nine protected characteristic groups: race, gender, disability, age, maternity and pregnancy, religion or belief, gender identity, marriage and civil partnerships and sexual orientation. The general equality duty places a requirement on us to publish information that demonstrates compliance with the duty by 31 January 2012. A Trust Board paper which outlines our approach and explains more about the Act, duties and timescales is available here.
The specific duties require us to publish our equality objectives by the 6 April. Click here to see our equality objectives for 2012-2016. These have been developed based on feedback resulting from involvement and engagement with patients and staff as a result of implementing the equality delivery system (EDS).
How does this relate to my care?
The department of health has laid out a clear ambition for the NHS which is to be a health service that is responsive to the needs of and accountable to all members of all communities. A service that delivers high quality care for all, that takes appropriate account of individuals' age, disability status, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex and gender identity. In summary, a service where 'everyone counts' and where equality is integral to quality. This applies to all healthcare services provided or commissioned by the NHS. It applies to staff as well as patients and we support this ambition.
The NHS Equality and Diversity Council (EDC) which is chaired by Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS, has therefore set out a strategic vision which is: “A personal, fair and diverse health and care service, which draws the best from its communities and understands, respects and caters for all using and working within it”.
Developing healthcare services which are personal, fair and diverse is at the heart of what we are aspiring to achieve at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. Work we have done to develop and implement our service standards and our five promises is aligned with these key principles.
How does this relate to my job?
We also have our core human resource principles which apply to all our staff. The Trust is committed to employment practices which aim to make sure that all staff feel valued and are treated with dignity and respect in an inclusive environment which acknowledges difference and celebrates diversity.
Chief executive Anne Eden, said: “I am inspired by the pool of talent we have in our organisation amongst people from all groups. Our aim is to be employer of choice in Buckinghamshire and to work with a body of staff that represent the communities we serve.”
- The Trust continues to strive to improve its quality of care for our patients with the aim of providing a positive patient experience
- The Trust works to continually improve its employment practices and advance equal opportunities
- The Trust sees equality and diversity as central to this work and core to our business
- The Trust is committed to good practice in equality and diversity and meeting its statutory duties.
The pages that follow demonstrates a range of information that the organisation has published to help demonstrate how we meet the requirements of the general equality duty which is broken down into three aims. We have tried to demonstrate which of the aims, each piece of information relates to and this information is on the front sheets.
Analysis of relevant data and information helps us to continue towards providing healthcare services that are fair to all and ensure an inclusive environment for staff. Furthermore, information gained from involvement events on the diversity agenda and engagement with those who share a protected characteristic, will inform the development of equality objectives for our organisation.
Introduction
The new public sector equality duty (PSED) came into force in April 2011. The PSED is set out within the Equality Act 2010 and details what public sector bodies need to do in order to comply with:
The Act also explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:
- removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics, these include:
- race
- gender
- disability
- age
- maternity and pregnancy
- religion or belief
- gender identity
- marriage and civil partnerships
- sexual orientation
- taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people
- encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.
Evidence for public sector equality duty 2013
Aim 1: eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act
1. Patient profile
2. Workforce profile
3. Production, approval, registration and implementation of Trust wide strategies and policies
4. Business planning
5. Recruitment
6. Volunteers
7. Training
8. Interpretation and translation
9. Employee relations
10. Patient experience
11. Staff survey
12. Engagement and involvement
13. Patient information
Aim 2: advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
1. Patient profile
2. Workforce profile
3. Production, approval, registration and implementation of Trust wide strategies and policies
4. Business planning
5. Recruitment
6. Volunteers
7. Training
8. Interpretation and translation
9. Employee relations
10. Patient experience
11. Staff survey
12. Engagement and involvement
13. Patient information
Aim 3: foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
1. Patient profile
2. Workforce profile
3. Business planning
4. Recruitment
5. Volunteers
6. Training
7. Interpretation and translation
8. Employee relations
9. Patient experience
10. Staff survey
11. Engagement and involvement
12. Patient information
Equality and diversity annual reports and key documents
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