Integrating equality and diversity into everyday
business of Southern Health
2012/16
Quality care, when and where you need it
1. Introduction
1.1 As a public authority we have legal requirements under the Equality Act 2010 to promote equality in
the areas of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and
maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation
1.2 The Equality Delivery System (EDS) is referenced within the NHS Operating Framework for 2011/12
and our strategy sets out how we will:




Deliver improved and more consistent performance on equality for patients, carers, communities and
staff. In particular, deliver better outcomes with regard to the NHS Outcomes Framework
Respond more readily to the Public Sector Duty of the Equality Act.
Respond better to CQC Essential Standards
Ensure we deliver services that are personal, fair and diverse, and are supported to do so
2. Our Equality and Diversity Plan
Quality care, when and where you need it
2.1 Equality and Diversity must be seen in all parts of the Trust as an opportunity for creativity and
innovation/ This will require ongoing efforts to ensure that clear and consistent messages are
communicated and expert advice and support afforded at all levels across the Trust.
2.2 As a Foundation Trust, we have a diverse range of engagement strategies to ensure that staff and
patients across all protected groups have an opportunity be involved in the decisions that affect them.
Our equality and diversity plan is built on a strong foundation of engagement with patients, staff, carers,
the wider community and our partners to ensure we are responsive to their needs
2.3 Our aims are to:

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
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Work towards reducing inequality in health and wellbeing, prioritising known areas of inequality
Ensure that the services we provide are accessible to all people; actively promote equality; and
are free from unlawful discrimination.
Develop services which best meet the needs of our diverse communities
Employ, develop and retain a workforce, which at all levels reflects the diversity and make up of
the population that we serve.
Eliminate from our services, policies and decision making, any adverse impact on the promotion
of equality and cohesion or adverse effect on particular groups or communities.
2.4 The following action points demonstrate how we will deliver on equality and diversity and measure
our success:
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Action Point 1: Developing our strategy
1.1 EDS Strategy and Action Plan
The Trust has adopted the National Equality Delivery
System (EDS) to deliver better outcomes for patients and
communities and better working environments for staff,
which are personal, fair and diverse.
The EDS will help the Trust strengthen its compliance with
the Equality Act 2010 and Care Quality Commission (CQC)
“Essential Standards of Quality and Safety”.
We will coordinate our work through:
 Trust EDS Strategy and Action Plan
 Trust Equality Impact Group
Promoting equality, diversity and human rights is closely related to the pursuit of quality and actions to address and reduce
gaps in health inequalities. A quality service is one that recognises the needs and circumstances of each patient, carer,
community and staff member, and ensures that services are accessible, appropriate and effective for all, and that workplaces
are free from discrimination where staff can thrive and deliver.
Our strategy therefore contributes to obtaining the greatest possible benefit for everyone who comes into contact with
Southern Health. The needs and circumstances for patients, carers, communities and staff from protected groups can be
distinct and specific. In providing quality services and workforce environments that are appropriate and effective for all,
Southern Health will prioritise and promote equality, diversity and human rights.
1.2 Our 2012/13 strategic objectives and 2012/16 equality objectives
1. To ensure we meet our quality and safety,
operational performance and financial obligations –
getting the basics right for our patient,
commissioners and regulator
2. To transform our clinical services to improve
outcomes and experience, and reduce costs –
through internal redesign, integration with
partners and through growth
EDS Goal: Better health outcomes for all
The NHS should achieve improvements in patient health,
public health and patient safety for all, based on
comprehensive evidence of needs and results
EDS Goal: Improved patient access and experience
The NHS should improve accessibility and information, and
deliver the right services that are targeted, useful, useable
and used in order to improve patient experience
Equality Objective:
Improving the quality and use of information for all protected
characteristics to identify where inequalities exist and to seek
continuous improvement
Equality Objective:
Clinical services will be fair and fully accessible to ensure
that the experience of patients is personalised and
appropriate to enhance patient satisfaction
3. To develop our people and their leadership capacity
and capability to deliver our clinical strategy
4. To develop our organisation, its capabilities and its
infrastructure to enable the delivery of our vision and
strategy
EDS Goal: Empowered, engaged and well-supported staff
The NHS should increase the diversity and quality of the
working lives of the paid and non-paid workforce, supporting
all staff to better respond to patients and communities
EDS Goal: Inclusive leadership at all levels
NHS organisations should ensure that equality is everyone’s
business, and everyone is expected to take an active part,
supported by the work of specialist equality leaders and
champions
Equality Objective: To develop understanding of any issues
relating to employment and development raised by staff and
respond with specific action plan for improvement.
Equality Objective: Equality and Diversity will be
embedded in the day to day business of the organisation
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1.3 Inclusive leadership at all levels
Responsibilities
Trust
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust has a statutory responsibility to have due regard to the Equality Act 2010 and
the Human Rights Act 1998.
Southern Health will have a duty to:
 Act compatibly with the European Convention on Human Rights
 To fulfill equalities duties including:
 Not discriminating, harassing or victimising, either in the delivery of services or in treatment of employees on any
grounds, particularly in relation to age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and
civil partnership, race, sex, sexual orientation and religion or belief
 Advancing equality of opportunity, eliminating unlawful discrimination and fostering good relations
 Publishing information annually to demonstrate compliance with the general and specific Equality duties and
publish equality objectives every four years
 Publishing a range of equality data relating to workforce, services and demographics
 Publishing information in a way that is accessible to the public
 Implementing the NHS Equality Delivery System to ensure improved and consistent performance on equality
across the Trust.
Trust Board
The Trust Board has overall accountability for ensuring the Equality Delivery System is implemented, monitored and
reviewed.
 The Board conduct and plan their business so that equality is advanced, pay due regard to eliminate unlawful
discrimination and foster good relations.
Chief Executive
The Chef Executive has delegated responsibility from the Board to ensure that the Equality Delivery System is
implemented, monitored and reviewed
 Working closely with the Executive Team and Strategic Management Board, the Chief Executive is accountable
for ensuring that the Trust Equality Delivery System is implemented and evaluated
Directors
All Directors have delegated responsibility from the Board to ensure that the Equality Delivery System is implemented
within their Directorate and that managers are aware of their responsibilities.
 The Director of Workforce and Organisational Development is responsible for ensuring the employment duty is
implemented and chairs the Strategic Workforce Committee. This group will review Trust performance on
equality and diversity.
Managers
All managers have a responsibility to implement the Equality Delivery System and to bring it to the attention of staff in
their work area in order to establish and maintain an inclusive environment free of unlawful discrimination. They must :
 Set a positive example by treating others with respect and setting standards of acceptable behaviour
 Promote an inclusive working environment where unlawful discrimination is unacceptable and not tolerated
 Tackle and where possible, resolve any incidents of unlawful discrimination
 Ensure that their teams work effectively together
 Ensure Staff are given equal opportunity to access learning and development opportunities
 Consult with the Human Resources Team and Equality and Diversity Lead at any time for advice and support .
Staff
All staff have a personal responsibility for their own behaviour and for ensuring that they comply with the Equality Act
2010. The Trusts expects all staff to:
 Understand the Trust Values and how this impacts on everything we do
 Help promote an inclusive environment by treating everyone with dignity and respect
 Respecting and responding to the diverse needs of staff, service users and others
 Appropriately challenge and/or report behaviour that may be considered to be offensive when directed against
themselves or others
 Where appropriate to their role, supporting the organisation by collecting equality monitoring information of
service users and staff. This helps the organisation to
4 assess its equality impact
1.4 Governance arrangements
Equality Impact Group* (EIG)
The EIG provide assurance to the Board on
EDS performance via the Strategic Workforce
Committee
SHFT
Board
Meetings
 EIG Meetings will be held Quarterly
Strategic
Workforce
Committee
Equality
Impact
Group
Strategic
Management
Board
Reporting arrangements will include
 Minutes of the EIG
 Bi-annual EDS Performance
Dashboard
 Directorate performance against the
Equality Standard
 An annual report to the Board will
include an assessment of compliance
with statutory duties and a review of
progress in implementing the EDS
 Regular updates to staff and patients
via Vox Pop, Team meetings, Trust
Website and EDS Grading Panels
* The Equality Impact Group (EIG) will supersede the Trust Equality and Diversity Committee. Following a review of
our governance and reporting arrangements for equality and diversity, committee members were engaged to identify
the most appropriate and responsive way to monitor our EDS performance. It was agreed that the EIG will transform
the way we support, monitor and report our performance across the Trust and to all our partners.
The purpose of the Equality Impact Group is to provide support, advice, assurance and governance for the Trust
Board to ensure the organisation is committed to:
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Developing and embedding a culture of promoting Equality and Diversity and eliminating discrimination.
Meeting its duties and responsibilities under Equality, Diversity & Human Rights legislation and codes of practice,
including NHS and the Department of Health standards
Promoting, recognising and valuing the diverse nature of communities and staff groups within Southern Health NHS
Foundation Trust
The EDS Requirements
At the heart of the EDS are a set of 18 outcomes grouped into four goals (EDS outcomes and CQC alignment) are set out
below (Table 1). It is against these outcomes that performance is analysed, graded and action determined
Implementation of the EDS
Southern Health will gather and publish evidence in relation to each of the outcomes. The analysis of the outcomes must
EDS each
Goals
and Outcomes
cover
protected
group, and be based on comprehensive engagement, using reliable evidence
The Grading System
Most of the grades have been designed to reflect and promote:
 The delivery of positive outcomes for protected groups, and to encourage continuous improvement.
 Good engagement with patients, carers, communities and staff from protected groups.
 The use of best available evidence and good practice examples to inform service and workforce developments.
 Dealing with, and reporting on, equality as part of mainstream business
The grades are as follows:
 Excelling – Purple
 Achieving - Green
 Developing – Amber
Linking EDS
with
1.5Undeveloped
– Red
National NHS Drivers
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1.5.1 What will the EDS deliver?
The EDS can be used to:
 Help deliver on the Government’s commitment to localism and local decision-making (DH, White Paper, “Equity and
excellence: liberating the NHS”, 2010).

Help deliver on the principles, objectives, requirements of the Human Resources Transition Framework (DH, 2011).

Help comply with the public sector Equality Duty.

Ensure that staff can deliver services that are personal, fair and diverse, and are supported to do so.

By providing a national equalities tool for local use, the EDS will lead to greater consistency, transparency and
greater sharing of good practice across the NHS.
Respond better to CQC: The EDS outcomes have been
aligned to the CQC Essential Standards
National Quality Outcomes Framework: The EDS is
referenced within NHS Operating Framework for 2011/12
with the emphasis that NHS Boards will need to comply
with the Equality Act 2010.
CQC
National
Staff Survey: The national annual staff survey includes
questions that are relevant to the equality agenda. Areas
include equality of opportunity, fair access to career
progression, feeling valued by colleagues and the
experience of bullying & harassment. The findings of the
survey are cut across the demographic groups that
consist of the protected characteristic groups.
Quality
Outcome
Framework
NHSLA
EDS
NHS
Constitution
Patient Experience: Improving the patient experience is
a national priority identified in the NHS Operating Plan
(2010-11). The Trust works hard to ensure that all
patients find it easier to obtain treatment of a high quality
and have a good experience whilst being cared for. This
is encapsulated in our promise to patients through our
Customer Service Charter.
As staff, we will be:
Staff
Survey
Patient
Experience

Respectful

Approachable and easy to talk to

Pleasant and friendly at all times

Willing to listen and really hear

Aware of individuals’ varying needs

Dressed professionally
NHS Constitution: helps deliver on the Government’s
commitment to fairness and personalisation, including the
equality-focused rights and pledges of the NHS
Constitution
NHSLA: The Trust Risk Register will identify any
emerging equality issues that may have a detrimental
impact on staff and patients. The Trust will complete
Equality Impact Analyses on key NHSLA policies
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Table 1: Alignment of EDS Outcomes with CQC Essential Standards
Goal
1. Better health
outcomes for all
Outcome
1.1 Services are commissioned,
designed and procured to meet
the health needs of local
communities, promote well-being,
and reduce health inequalities
CQC Essential Standard
1.1a People who use services experience effective, safe and
appropriate care, treatment and support that meets their needs
and protects their rights (Regulation 9, Outcome 4)
1.1b People who use services are supported to have adequate
nutrition and hydration (Regulation 14, Outcome 5)
1.1c People who use services and people who work in or visit
the premises benefit from equipment that is comfortable and
meets their needs (Regulation 16, Outcome 11)
1.1d People who use services can be confident that their
personal records are accurate, fit for purpose, held securely and
remain confidential (Regulation 20, Outcome 21)
1.2 Individual patients’ health
needs are assessed, and
resulting services provided, in
appropriate and effective ways
1.2 People who use services understand the care, treatment
and support choices available to them; can express their views,
so far as they are able to do so, and are involved in making
decisions about their care, treatment and support; and have
their views and experiences taken into account in the way the
service is provided and delivered (Regulation 17, Outcome 1)
1.3 Changes across services for
individual patients are discussed
with them, and transitions are
made smoothly
1.4 The safety of patients is
prioritised and assured. In
particular, patients are free from
abuse, harassment, bullying,
violence from other patients and
staff, with redress being open and
fair to all
1.3 People who use services receive safe and coordinated care,
treatment and support where more than one provider is
involved, or they are moved between services (Regulation 24,
Outcome 6)
1.4a Service users are protected against identifiable risks of
acquiring such an infection (Regulation 12, Outcome 8)
1.4b People who use services are protected from abuse, or the
risk of abuse, and their human rights are respected and upheld
(Regulation 11, Outcome 7)
1.4c People who use services will have their medicines at the
time they need them, and in a safe way (Regulation 13,
Outcome 9)
1.4d People who use services and people who work in or visit
the premises are in safe, accessible surroundings that promote
their wellbeing (Regulation 15, Outcome 10)
1.4e People who use services and people who work in or visit
the premises are not at risk of harm from unsafe or unstable
equipment (medical and non-medical equipment, furnishings or
fittings) (Regulation 16, Outcome 11)
1.4f People who use services can be confident that records
required to be kept to protect their safety and wellbeing are
maintained and held securely where required (Regulation 20,
Outcome 21)
1.3 Public health, vaccination
and screening programmes
reach and benefit all local
communities and groups
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
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Goal
2. Improved patient
access and
experience
Outcome
2.1 Patients, carers and
communities can readily access
services, and should not be
denied access on unreasonable
grounds
2.2 Patients are informed and
supported to be as involved as
they wish to be in their diagnoses
and decisions about their care,
and to exercise choice about
treatments and places of
treatment
CQC Essential Standard
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
2.2a People who use services understand the care, treatment
and support choices available to them (Regulation 17, Outcome
1)
2.2b People who use services where they are able give valid
consent to the examination, care, treatment and support they
receive; and understand and know how to change any decisions
about examination, care, treatment and support that has been
previously agreed (Regulation 18, Outcome 2)
2.2c People who use services, or others acting on their behalf,
who pay the provider for the services they receive: know how
much they are expected to pay, when and how; know what the
service will provide for the fee paid; and understand their
obligations and responsibilities (Regulation 19, Outcome 3)
(This regulation was made under the Care Quality Commission
(Registration) Regulations, 2009)
2.2d People who use services wherever possible will have
information about the medicine being prescribed made available
to them or others acting on their behalf (Regulation 13, Outcome
9)
2.3 Patients and carers report
positive experiences of their
treatment and care outcomes and
of being listened to and respected
and of how their privacy and
dignity is prioritised
2.3a People who use services can express their views, so far as
they are able to do so, and are involved in making decisions
about their care, treatment and support; have their privacy,
dignity and independence respected; have their views and
experiences taken into account in the way the service is
provided and delivered (Regulation 17, Outcome 1)
2.3b People who use services can be confident that their human
rights are respected and taken into account (Regulation 18,
Outcome 2)
2.3c People who use services or others acting on their behalf:
are sure that their comments and complaints are listened to and
acted on effectively; know that they will not be discriminated
against for making a complaint (Regulation 19, Outcome 17)
3. Empowered,
engaged and wellsupported staff
2.4 Patients’ and carers’
complaints about services, and
subsequent claims for redress,
should be handled respectfully
and efficiently
3.1 Recruitment and selection
processes are fair, inclusive and
transparent so that the workforce
becomes as diverse as it can be
within all occupations and grades
3.2 Levels of pay and related
terms and conditions are fairly
determined for all posts, with staff
doing equal work and work rated
as of equal value being entitled to
equal pay
2.4 People who use services or others acting on their behalf are
sure that their comments and complaints are listened to and
acted on effectively; and know that they will not be discriminated
against for making a complaint (Regulation 19, Outcome 17)
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
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Goal
Outcome
3.3 Through support, training,
personal development and
performance appraisal, staff are
confident and competent to do
their work, so that services are
commissioned or provided
appropriately
CQC Essential Standard
3.3a People who use services are safe and their health and
welfare needs are met by staff who are fit, appropriately
qualified and are physically and mentally able to do their job
(Regulation 21, Outcome 12)
3.3b People who use services are safe and their health and
welfare needs are met by sufficient numbers of appropriate staff
(Regulation 22, Outcome 13)
3.3c People who use services are safe and their health and
welfare needs are met by competent staff (Regulation 23,
Outcome 14)
3.3d People who use services have their needs met by the
service because it is provided by an appropriate person
(Regulation 4, Outcome 22)
4. Inclusive
leadership at all
levels
3.4 Staff are free from abuse,
harassment, bullying, violence
from both patients and their
relatives and colleagues, with
redress being open and fair to all
3.5 Flexible working options are
made available to all staff,
consistent with the needs of the
service, and the way that people
lead their lives. (Flexible working
may be a reasonable adjustment
for disabled members of staff or
carers.)
3.6 The workforce is supported to
remain healthy, with a focus on
addressing major health and
lifestyle issues that affect
individual staff and the wider
population
4.1 Boards and senior leaders
conduct and plan their business
so that equality is advanced, and
good relations fostered, within
their organisations and beyond
4.2 Middle managers and other
line managers support and
motivate their staff to work in
culturally competent ways within a
work environment free from
discrimination
4.3 The organisation uses the
“Competency Framework for
Equality and Diversity
Leadership” to recruit, develop
and support strategic leaders to
advance equality outcomes
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
4.1a The registered person recognises the diversity, values and
human rights of people who use services (Regulation 17,
Outcome 1)
4.1b People who use services benefit from safe quality care,
treatment and support, due to effective decision making and the
management of risks to their health, welfare and safety
(Regulation 10, Outcome 16)
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
No equivalent CQC Essential Standard.
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Action Point 2: Integrating Equality & Diversity into everyday business
2.1 Trust Values
Our values have been created in order to:

Releasing
Ambition


Valuing
Achievement
Driving
Innovation
Southern Health has worked with our staff, our
Governors, and our service users to develop a Charter of
Customer Service Standards. This will be incorporated in
an exciting new project to integrate E&D into the
everyday business of the Trust (see Equality Standard
below)
Person &
Patient
Centered
Delivering
Value
define the culture we aspire towards and we
wish to shape our organisation
act as the premise from which we will define
desired behavioural attributes
share with the outside world how we are going
to realise our ambitions
The Equality and Diversity team will embed the values of
the Trust through Respect and Values training delivered
at Organisational Induction. We will work closely with the
Communications and Engagement team to deliver clear
and consistent equality and diversity updates via a range
of accessible communication methods
Forging
Relationships
Vox Pop (our diversity champions network) receive
regular updates and opportunities to develop their skills
to respond promptly to the needs of our patients and
service users across all protected groups
2.2 We will introduce an ‘Equality Standard’
At Southern Health we value people’s achievements and we’ve developed a new EQUALITY STANDARD to make sure
everyone has equality of opportunity irrespective of their protected characteristics. We are giving our staff a toolkit to help
carry the values of equality and diversity into everyday patient care and their work with the Trust.
The Equality Standard is categorised in bronze, silver and gold standard dependant on the level of performance against the
equality standards criteria. Each part of the Trust will be evaluated and awarded a category according to how well they
demonstrate the necessary criteria.
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Action Point 3: Involving Everyone
3.1 Improve the way we communicate with and involve the people we care for, our staff and all
the other groups who are affected by what we do
We will develop a communication and engagement plan that underpins the values of our Trust and the EDS Strategy 201216. Our focus during 2012-13 will be to create foundations that will position us to deliver stronger communications messages
to all protected groups.
Objectives of our EDS communication and engagement plan: achieving the three R’s of communication

Forging Relationships:
 Driving cultural change by encouraging and supporting staff to work collaboratively with diverse patients and
their representatives.
 Identifying, establishing and fostering relationships with diverse stakeholder groups for our mutual benefit.
 Managing relationships with existing stakeholders so that they feel valued, excited and involved in our work.

Increased Recognition: firmly establishing our distinctive identity to support our values of delivering:



Accessible, high quality, reliable, timely and customer friendly information; pre-planning and publishing our
EDS consultations, publications and events.
Using quality standards to deliver external communications to stakeholders across all protected groups
Considered use of our Resources: fostering a culture where accessible communications becomes integral to
everything we do.

Develop, maintain and clearly communicate consistent equality standards for internal and external
communications.
3.2 Key targets to measure our EDS communications success
Equality Delivery
System
Communication Targets
Target 1
Target 2
Target 3
To deliver communications to
all our stakeholders,
monitoring our reach through
stakeholder maps and contact
plans.
To increase recognition of our
brand and EDS performance
with all our partners,
regionally and nationally.
To deliver measurable
improvements in the quality of
communications across all
protected groups, year on
year.
3.3 Monitoring and evaluation of our EDS communications plan
We will measure the effectiveness of our plan through:






Feedback at events, seminars and on our website.
Monitoring of ‘hits’ on our website.
Events successfully delivered against an agreed calendar of events.
Monitoring our engagement across all protected groups
Increasing the diversity of Trust Membership
Improve equality monitoring data for all our patients and staff
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4. What will be different by 2016?
4.1 Building on our learning to date, Southern Health has identified four equality objectives to achieve by 2016:
Objective 1: Improving the quality and use of information for all protected characteristics to identify where inequalities exist
and to seek continuous improvement
Objective 2: Clinical services will be fair and fully accessible to ensure that the experience of patients is personalised and
appropriate to enhance patient satisfaction
Objective 3: To develop understanding of any issues relating to employment and development raised by staff and respond
with specific action plan for improvement.
Objective 4: Equality and Diversity will be embedded in the day to day business of the organisation
4.2 The Equality Delivery System Action Plan of Southern Health sets out how these objectives will be met - including the
outcomes the Trust is aiming to achieve, the activities required to meet the outcomes, and the measures that will be used to
assess progress. It also shows how each objective relates to the Equality Act 2010 and CQC Essential Standards.
Liz Skeats
Head of HR - Integrated Community Services (ICS)
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Human Resources Dept, Room 19, Maples Building,
Tatchbury Mount, Calmore, Southampton, SO40 2RZ
Tel: 023 8087 4188| Mob: 07557541899
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.southernhealth.nhs.uk
Ricky Somal
Equality and Diversity Lead
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Human Resources Dept, Elms Building,
Tatchbury Mount, Calmore, Southampton, SO40 2RZ
Tel: 023 8087 4025| Mob: 07584408097
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.southernhealth.nhs.uk
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Appendix 1: Legislative requirements and understanding equality and diversity
The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from “prohibited conduct” for groups of people with protected characteristics.
Examples of prohibited conduct includes, direct discrimination (including combination discrimination), indirect discrimination,
associative discrimination, perceptive discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Duty are:
1) Age: This refers to a person having a particular age (for example, 32 years old) or being within an age band (for example,
18-25, 40-50 years old).
2) Disability: A person has a disability if s/he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term
adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
3) Gender reassignment: This is the process of transitioning from one sex to another.
4) Marriage and civil partnership: A union between a man and a woman or the legal recognition of a same-sex couple’s
relationship.
5) Pregnancy and maternity: The condition of being pregnant or the period after giving birth. It is linked to maternity leave in
the employment context.
6) Race: It refers to a group of people defined by their colour, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins.
7) Religion or belief: Religion means the religion a person belongs to generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the
way you live for it to be included.
8) Sex: Someone being a man or a woman.
9) Sexual orientation: This is whether a person's sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both
sexes.
Whilst we recognise that many forms of discrimination can and do happen, we are committed to dealing with any incidents of
discrimination in a sensitive and robust way. As an employer we have a legal duty to ensure that all people have equality of
opportunity to be considered for employment, training and promotion. As part of our strategic role we must also demonstrate
how we will support those who provide services in promoting equality and addressing the inequality, disadvantage and
discrimination that people may face during their lives. We have established mechanisms to ensure that we recognise any
such discrimination, and these include:








Equality Impact Analysis
Trust policies and procedures
Openness (Whistle blowing) policies
Staff leaver’s survey.
Staff survey.
Incident reporting policy.
Patient Survey
Vox Pop: Staff Diversity Champions Network
This list is not exhaustive.
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The Public Sector Equality Duty
The Equality Act 2010 creates a new general duty on the NHS, when carrying out their functions to have due regard to:
a) The need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation
To help achieve this duty
Southern Health recognises that all employees have a right to work in an environment in which the dignity of individuals is
respected and which is free from harassment and bullying behaviour. Equality and Diversity training (Respect and Values) is
delivered at organisational induction to ensure working practices are culturally competent and working environments are free
from discrimination. The course covers equality legislation, protected characteristics and prohibited conduct. The session is
interactive and staff members are required to feedback and participate during the training
b) The need to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those
who do not
To help achieve this duty
The Trust will use the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, Office of National Statistics and local profile data from Public Health
Observatory to identify health needs of local communities across the nine protected groups to deliver appropriate and
responsive services. This includes the collation and analysis of local population demographic data and information on mental
health care needs indicators, mortality rates, smoking related deaths - including deprivation correlation, early deaths from
cancer, heart disease and stroke. This will enable the Trust to identify the health inequalities that exist across all protected
groups and ensure services provided are tailored to the needs of our community.
c) The need to foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not
(which will therefore cover good relations between people of different faiths and between people who have a religious faith
and those who do not).
To help achieve this duty
Improving the patient experience is a national priority identified in the NHS Operating Plan (2010-11). Southern Health aims
to build up a comprehensive and continuous picture of the views, experiences and priorities of patients across all protected
groups to inform service improvements. This is achieved through obtaining regular patient feedback on services, involving
patients, carers and other members of the public in the planning, delivery and development of services.
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