TranslateEquality and Diversity
Equality is not about treating everyone the same; it is about ensuring that access to opportunities are available to all by taking account of people’s differing needs and capabilities.
Diversity is about recognising and valuing differences through inclusion, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial origin, religion, belief, sexual orientation, commitments outside of work, part-time or shift work, language, union activity, HIV status, perspectives, opinions and person value.
We are committed to providing services and employment to a community with an increasing variety of backgrounds. To do this effectively it is essential that we promote equality and embrace diversity and treat all of our service users, staff and carers with dignity and respect.
Policy Statement
Patients
Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.
Staff
Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that you treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessments (EqIA) are undertaken on all policies and service change/development proposals. These are available on our intranet pages.
Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES)
Since April 2015, NHS organisations have been required to demonstrate progress against a number of indicators linked to race equality within the workforce. It is possible to see how the NHS Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff are treated; the NHS is the UK’s biggest employer of staff from BME backgrounds. Staff who are cared for, care better for others; the case for race equality in the workforce is not just about the treatment of BME staff but about the care of all patients irrespective of ethnicity.
Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 requires that we undertake outcome focused activity in addressing equality and diversity issues as a service provider and employer, across nine protected characteristics. We have a general duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it. As a public sector organisation, we also have specific duty to prepare and publish specific and measurable equality objectives every four years.
The Act contains a general duty which requires us to have due regard to:
- Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- Advancing equality of opportunity
- Fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it.
The Act also contains specific duties which are to:
- Prepare and publish equality objectives at least every four years after that
- Ensure that the objectives are specific and measurable, and set out how progress towards the objectives will be measured
- Publish details of engagement in developing the equality objectives also at least every four years, and in line with publication of objectives
- Consider its published equality information before preparing and publishing these objectives
- Publish the objectives in a reasonably accessible format either as an individual document or as part of another report.
Interpretation and Translation Services
The Trust has two organisations that provide interpretation and translation services support to individuals accessing our services who have a difficulty in hearing or seeing, or there is a difficulty in understanding each other’s language. Hull City Council provides these services to our patients in the Hull and East Riding area and The Big Word for individuals living in the Whitby, Scarborough and Ryedale region.
Spring 2019 the Trust implemented the Interpreter on Wheels initiative in mental health inpatient units, the Mental Health Response Service and West Hull and East Hull Community Mental Health Teams. Interpreter on Wheels provides one-touch access to trained professional video interpreters on a PC, tablet or smartphone thus providing spoken and visual communication. This digital solution aids communication for our patients, service users and carers who speak English as their second language or require a British Sign Language interpreter.
