West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being inclusive, fair and equitable to our staff, patients, carers and the communities we serve. As a Trust we are required under the Equality Act 2010, to demonstrate that we are meeting our legal duties when it comes to equality and diversity.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is part of the Equality Act 2010 and came into force in April 2011. This duty requires NHS organisations and other public bodies to:
- Comply with the General Equality Duty
- Comply with the Specific Duty
- Publish Equality Objectives every four years
Annual Equality Report – 2021 – 2022
The General Equality Duty (GED)
Section 149 (1) of the Equality Act 2010 places requirements on NHS organisations when exercising their functions. The GED has three aims and requires public bodies to have “due regard” to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment & victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
The Trust would like to be informed of what we need to do better or differently, we would like to hear your thoughts on our single equality scheme and how we can improve our services for patients, staff, volunteers and the local community within the West Midlands region. Our ambition is to deliver a personal and fair service, which will translate into the new Trust Equality, Diversity & Inclusion strategy 2017- 2020 upon completion.
Having “due regard” means thinking about the three aims of the PSED and that consideration of equality issues must influence the decisions reached by the Trust.
Specific Duties
The specific duties require public bodies to set specific, measurable equality objectives and to publish information about their performance on equality, so that the public can hold them to account. The Specific Duties require the Trust to:
- Publish information to show compliance with the Equality Duty at least annually
- Set and publish equality objectives at least every 4 years
The information published needs to be accessible for people and must show “due regard” to the three aims of the Equality Duty.
The Trust now publishes the General Duty, Specific Duty and Equality Objectives with the required information in our Annual Report on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The report is published between July and September each year.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2025
We are proud to have developed our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy which sets out the Trust’s ambitions and plan of action to promote and advance equity, diversity and inclusion throughout our organisation.
We have developed this strategy, not only to comply with our legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, but because we believe wholeheartedly that it is the right thing to do. Diversity and inclusion must be integral to our culture and values and we must strive to make them visible in everything we do. They are an intrinsic part of helping us to improve the patient experience, our workplace culture and to highlight the additional needs of those with a protected characteristic.
Our approach to diversity and inclusion goes beyond legal compliance – it is central to our core business. The strategy builds on our long-term commitment to achieving this ambition and how it will enable us to meet the needs of the communities and our workforce.
Each year, we will assess the progress we have made on delivering our objectives which will be reported through the Trust Board.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2025
Equality Objectives 2021-2025
The equality objectives have been embedded within the Equality Strategy . The implementation of these objectives will ensure that the organisation is equitable in commissioning services, placing fairness at the centre of its core business, both as an employer and as a commissioner. There will be an annual report on progress of the equality objectives.
Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES)
The main purpose of the WRES is to help local and national NHS organisations to review their workforce data against WRES indicators and produce an action plan to improve workplace experiences of Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) staff. The WRES also places an obligation on NHS organisations to improve BME representation at Board level. The WRES provides a real impetus for NHS organisations to improve workforce race equality for the benefit of staff and patients.
The following action plan has been produced having engaged with staff and networks and will build on the positive outcomes from last year and the improvements that we aim to deliver in the coming year
Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) 2022-23
The Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) is a set of ten specific measures (metrics) which enables NHS organisations to compare the workplace and career experiences of disabled and non-disabled staff.
The WDES is important, because research shows that a motivated, included and valued workforce helps to deliver high quality patient care, increased patient satisfaction and improved patient safety.
The WDES enables NHS organisations to better understand the experiences of their disabled staff and supports positive change for all existing employees by creating a more inclusive environment for disabled people working and seeking employment in the NHS.
Equality Delivery System
The Trust has adopted the Equality Delivery System as its performance toolkit to support the organsiation in demonstrating its compliance with the three aims of the Public Sector General Equality Duty. The main purpose of the EDS is to help local NHS organisations, in discussion with local partners including local people and staff, to review and improve their performance for people with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. By using EDS, NHS organisations can also be helped to deliver on the Public-Sector Equality Duty.
Through utilisation of the EDS framework, the Trust wants to make transformational changes in the service it provides and delivers and full report on progress is provided in the Annual Equality report 2021-2022
