Equality and Diversity Issue 2014
Welcome to the Equality and Diversity
Summer Bulletin. For support and advice on
Equality & Diversity issues please contact:
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Nicola Griffiths, Equality and Diversity
Advisor, [email protected]
Abdul Khan, Equality and Diversity
Project Support Officer.
[email protected]
Telephone 716 3045 / 3062
International Day against Homophobia,
Biphobia and Transphobia
(photo:
wreath laid in remembrance of hate crime victims 17/5/14)
17th May was International Day against
Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. At
a Hate Crime Vigil the mother of Sophie
Lancaster a young woman who was a victim
of a hate crime attack spoke of the
importance of being united against
discrimination. Further advice on hate crime
can be found at www.victimsupport.org.uk and
www.report-it.org.uk
Staff Networks
The Trust has 3 staff groups, Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender, (LGBT), Black
Minority Ethnic (BME) and Disability. The
LGBT staff group will once again participate
in Oldham Pride, 26th July and Manchester
Pride 23rd August. For any event details or if
you wish to be part of one of the staff groups
please contact the E&D team.
Translation and Interpretation
Language Empire is the contracted service
provider for the Trust. If a patient requires
translation or interpretation then a member of
staff can make online request through
www.Language-empire.net and follow the
instructions. The online booking will only
allow you to make a booking. To cancel a
booking, please call 08453702002. Staff can
also access telephone interpreting 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. This service
should be used as follows: for contacting
service users by telephone, when a brief face
to face conversation is required at short
notice and in an emergency when a face to
face interpreter has been required but is not
immediately available. To access this service
telephone 08000320916 at any time. Before
you dial ensure that you have your access
code and user name. Translation and
interpretation requests are funded by your
service and therefore a budget code will also
be required. If you need help contact the
E&D team.
Month of Ramadan
Ramadhan is the holiest month in the Islamic
calendar, this year it will begin around 28th of
June 2014, depending on the sighting of the
new moon. Muslims mark Ramadan by
fasting each day from sunrise to sunset. One
of the goals of the month is to make those
who fast conscious of others.
Through not drinking and eating, people are
encouraged to think of the less fortunate who
often go without food. In this month, families
get together to share food and company in
the evenings and night-time, and the
emphasis is always on reflection, prayer and
charity. Religion and belief is one of the
protected characteristics under the Equality
Act 2010, and festivals like Ramadan,
Easter, Yom Kippur, Vaisakhi and Diwali,
and the other religious days and periods give
us an opportunity not just to support those
who observe them, but also to learn and
understand more about the people we work
with and serve.
For further information on Ramadan visit:
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthyramadan/P
ages/healthyramadanhome.aspx
Equality Delivery System (EDS2)
EDS2 is an audit tool to improve services for
people who belong to vulnerable and
protected groups. The main aim is to assess
health inequalities and provide better working
environments, free of discrimination, for
people who use, and work in, the NHS. The
tool sets out four goals around equality
Tool sets out our 4 goals around equality,
diversity and human rights. Within the four
goals, there are 18 outcomes or standards,
against which we assess and grade our
equality performance. It is currently being
implemented by 95% of NHS organisations.
The E&D team is in the process of
implementing the EDS2 project to support
our strategic objective to promote equality
throughout the planning, development and
delivery of our services. By recognising that
every patient has different needs and
circumstances, we can best meet those
needs and improve outcomes by delivering a
personal form of care, using and supporting
the diverse talents and experiences of our
workforce. The implementation of the EDS2
will also support our compliance with the:
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Public Sector Equality Duties (PSED)
of the Equality Act (2010).
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Registration Framework
NHS Outcomes Framework
NHS Constitution
Human Resources Transition
Framework (FREDA)
For further information on EDS2 visit:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/eds-nov131.pdf
Sharing equality and diversity practice
We welcome news items for the bulletin and
requests to focus upon a specific topic. We
know that there are excellent examples of
equality and diversity practice within our
services and we would like you to contact us
to share your good practice so that we can
begin to collect some case studies and
evidence. We would like to hear from staff
who have developed ways of making
services more accessible for particular
groups of people who are vulnerable. Please
contact the Equality and Diversity Team if
you would like to share good practice.
Focus on health conditions: Selective
Mutism
Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety
disorder that affects both children and
adults and prevents children speaking in
certain social situations, such as school
lessons or in public.
However, they're able to speak freely to
close family and friends when nobody else is
listening – for example, when they're at
home.
It's important to understand that when the
mutism happens, the person is not voluntarily
refusing to speak but is literally unable to
speak, feeling frozen. In time, they learn to
anticipate the situations that provoke mutism
and do all they can to avoid them.
Experts believe SM is a phobia of talking.
Most people will work their way through SM
with sympathetic support, although they may
remain reserved and anxious in social
situations.
Where can I get support and advice?
The Selective Mutism Information and
Research Association provides more
information on SM, including training days for
parents and professionals, and can put you
in contact with other affected families.
More information can also be found on
www.nhs.uk
Men’s Health Week
Led by the Men's Health Forum, this year's
Men's Health Week runs from the 9th to 15th
June and will focus on work, stress and
unemployment. It aims to tackle stigma in
men’s
mental health and promote mental wellbeing,
as well as encouraging men to seek help.
The forum has a long-running interest in
mental health and published the first
guidelines on addressing the mental health
needs of men and boys. They are committed
to expanding and improving services for
men.
Further information and resources can
be found at:
http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw
Training
New Starters
If you have recently joined Pennine Care
then please remember your commitment to
follow your induction with your Core Skills
Training in Equality and Diversity which is
mandatory for all staff.
We also provide training in Disability
Awareness, Religious Diversity and a full day
course in Equality, Diversity and Human
Rights. Please look on the Intranet for our
latest dates or contact us to express your
interest. We are also happy to receive
suggestions about what equality and
diversity training staff need.