Equality Analysis
Equality Analysis is the mechanism by which the Foundation Trust seeks to ensure that none of our functions, policies and processes have an adverse impact on any people in any of the protected groups described in the Equality Act 2010, namely: age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.
The public sector Equality Duty, passed under the Equality Act 2010, sought to simplify the previous Equality Impact Assessment process, followed by public sector organisations, including the Foundation Trust. The aim is to reduce bureaucracy whilst seeking to ensure that organisations consider the three aims of the Equality Duty as an integral part of decision making in respect of service, policy and process changes. These three aims are to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act
- Advance equality of opportunity between people of the same group and people from different groups; and
- Foster good relations between people of the same group and people from different groups.
The Foundation Trust is currently in the process of reviewing its equality analysis process and will also be introducing new guidance in Spring-2012.
Equality Service Profile – January to March 2013
Throughout the period January to March 2013 the Trusts services undertook a profile of their patients against the Equality Act 2010 Protected Characteristic groups. The Equality Service Profiles Completed Jan to March 2013 document identifies the 33 services who underwent the benchmark. The results of the individual service benchmarks can be found by accessing the specific service pages via the Our Services section of this website.
View the Service Profiles report here
Please find below the Service Benchmark Equality action plans for each division:
Family and Clinical Support
Medical Services
Surgical Services
Trust Policies
Through the use of equality impact assessments (and more recently, the revised equality analysis process) written Foundation Trust policies reflect issues pertinent to each of the nine protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010. However, the Foundation Trust has developed a number of policies that provide specific guidance to managers and staff to support them in pursuing good equality and diversity management practice and in taking action should equality and diversity concerns be identified. These include policies covering the following:
- Recruitment and selection
- Appraisal and annual performance reviews
- Leave (Including annual leave, maternity leave, compassionate leave, etc.)
- Flexible working (including flexible retirement)
- The management of sickness absence
- Bullying and harassment
- Grievances (both individual and collective)
- Whistle-blowing (Includes the raising of serious concerns about any suspected practices within the organisation that are having a detrimental impact on patients or other staff).
