Agenda Item 12.7
Equality and Diversity Strategy
Six-Month Progress Update
Public Board
24th November 2016
Presented for:
Presented by:
Author
Previous
Committees
Update
Dean Royles, Director of HR and OD
Emma Judge, Equality and Diversity Manager
Quality Management Group
Trust Goals
The best for patient safety, quality and experience

The best place to work

A centre for excellence for research, education and innovation
Seamless integrated care across organisational boundaries
Financial sustainability
Key points
1. Trust Board is asked to receive and note the six-month progress
update on delivery against the Targeted Ambitions set out in the
Equality and Diversity Strategy set out in Appendix 1.
Update
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1. Summary
This paper provides a six-month progress update on delivery against the Targeted
Ambitions set out in the Equality and Diversity Strategy 2015 to 2020. This follows an
annual progress update provided in March 2016.
2. Background
2.1 Compliance Requirements
The Equality Act 2010 consists of a general equality duty, otherwise known as the
Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which requires the Trust in the exercise of its
functions to have due regard to the need to:
1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a
protected characteristic and those who do not.
3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected
characteristic and those who do not.
Nine characteristics are protected through the Equality Act 2010 known as
‘protected characteristics’ and include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage
and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and
sexual orientation.
To comply with the general equality duty, secondary legislation by way of specific
duties regulations states the Trust must:
1. Publish equality information to demonstrate its compliance with the
general equality duty by the 31st January annually.
2. Prepare and publish one or more SMART equality objectives that
address the most pressing inequalities and further any of the aims of
the general equality duty by the 6th April at least every four years.
2.2 Our Equality and Diversity Strategy 2015 to 2020
The Equality and Diversity Strategy was developed in 2015 to bring together the
various parts of the equality agenda in a way that clearly articulates the commitment
of the Trust with targeted ambitions and key priorities.
The Strategy is intended to move the Trust to a place where widespread equality is
evident as part of its cultural change journey to embed The Leeds Way.
2.3 NHS Benchmarking
The NHS Equality Delivery System (EDS) serves the purpose of helping NHS
organisations review and improve their performance for people with protected
characteristics and help deliver the PSED. The EDS sets out the following goals,
which are referred to as equality objectives in the six-month progress update
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provided in Appendix 1 and are succinctly aligned to the Targeted Ambitions set out
in the Equality and Diversity Strategy:
1. Better health outcomes including services commissioned, procured,
designed and, delivered to meet the health needs of local communities.
2. Improved patient access and experience including patients being
informed and supported to be involved in decisions and reporting positive
experiences.
3. A representative and supported workforce including fair recruitment
and selection processes and flexible working options.
4. Inclusive leadership including papers that come before the Board and
other major committees identifying equality-related impacts.
2.4 Publishing of Equality Information
A number of Targeted Ambitions set out in the Equality and Diversity Strategy
reference a 50% closure in an inequality gap. The extent at which the gaps have
closed will be provided as part of the analysis and publishing of equality information
in January 2017.
3. Six-Month Progress Update
A six-month progress update is set out in Appendix 1. To summarise, the Trust is:


In developmental stages of achieving the Targeted Ambitions set out in the
Equality and Diversity Strategy 2015 to 2020.
Consistent in its consideration of 6 to 8 of the 9 protected characteristics,
which is identified as ‘achieving’ equality under the umbrella of the NHS
Equality Delivery System.
4. Financial Implications and Risk
Implications and mitigations will be incorporated into the respective risk registers as
appropriate.
5. Communication and Involvement
The six-month progress is the result of the work of various departments across the
Trust, which are instrumental in the delivery on equality and diversity, including
Equality and Diversity, Human Resources, Organisational Development, Patient
Experience and Informatics.
6. FOI Statement
Refer to Appendix in the Blue Box
7. Equality Analysis
Due regard to equality as defined by the Equality Act 2010 has provided the
foundations to the development of the six-month progress update.
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8. Recommendation
The Trust Board is asked to:

Receive and note the six month progress update on equality and diversity set
out in Appendix 1.
9. Supporting Information
The following papers make up this report:
Appendix 1 - Six-month Progress Update (April 2016 to October 2016).
Emma Judge
Equality and Diversity Manager
November 2016
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