Our Equality Diversity & Inclusion vision is centred around three pillars:
- To build a diverse pipeline of people into WMAS as well as valuing diversity of thought and experience of our existing staff;
- To create an inclusive workplace for all and;
- To reflect diversity in the delivery of our service to the diverse communities we serve.
The Equality and Inclusion function at the Trust provides visible leadership on equality and diversity issues across the Trust. We hope to help improve the access, experiences and health outcomes for patients, staff and communities, and to support the Trust to become a more inclusive employer by making full use of the talents of its diverse staff and the communities it serves.
The Trust’s leads for Equality and Inclusion at Board level are Narinder Kooner and Carla Beechey, People Director. The Equality function is strategically and operationally managed by the Trust lead of Equality & Inclusion – Mohammed Ramzan. The Trust has a robust governance structure to monitor Equality and Inclusion through the Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Group (DISAG) and the People Committee. In addition, regular updates are provided to the Executive Management Board (EMB).
In 2024 the Trust launched a Race Equality and Inclusion Charter representing the organisation’s commitment to Anti-Racism and striving towards inclusivity and maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination. You can view the Charter here.
Trust Position Statement
Equality Act 2010
As a public sector organisation, we are required to ensure that equality, diversity and human rights are embedded in all our functions and activities as per the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the NHS Constitution.
The Equality Act 2010 provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and ensure equality of opportunity for all. We have general and specific responsibilities known as the ‘public sector equality duties’.
The general equality duty requires us to meet the three aims of the Act. These are:
- Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act;
- Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- Fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
Specific equality duties
To assist public authorities in meeting the three aims of the general duty, specific duties were introduced. Meeting the specific duties provides the public with the information they need to challenge and hold us to account for our performance on equality. The specific duties require us to:
- Publish annual equality information to demonstrate compliance with the general equality duty
- Prepare and publish one or more specific and measurable objective that we think we need to achieve to further any of the aims of the general equality duty.
Full details of the public sector equality duty are available on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website.
Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report
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.
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)
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.
We have signed a pledge with the British Dyslexia Association to work towards being a dyslexia friendly employer. We have met the bronze level quality mark and are going to be working towards the silver mark over the next 12 months.
Equality Delivery System
The Trust has adopted the Equality Delivery System as its performance toolkit to support the organisation 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.
Transition to NHS Equality Delivery System 2022 (EDS22)
NHS organisations within The West Midlands Ambulance Service are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
The Equality Delivery System (EDS) is a toolkit designed by the Department of Health to help NHS organisations to improve the services they provide for their local communities, consider health inequalities in their local area and provide better working environments that are free of discrimination, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. This work must include involvement and partnership working with local partners and local communities. The EDS helps NHS organisations meet their Public Sector Equality Duty.
Since its launch in 2011 the NHS Equality Delivery System 2 has been used across the partnership within the NHS to:
- Assess our performance in addressing our Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) priorities.
- Provide opportunities for stakeholders to analyse our performance data and input into that assessment.
- Assist with identifying our EDI priorities for the future.
- Provide opportunities to work in partnership to deliver and assess those priorities consistently.
Modern Slavery Statement
The Trust recognises the importance of its role in executing the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We are committed to ensuring a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or any part of our business activity.
WMAS Staff Networks
A staff network is an employee run community that provides a space to discuss issues, help raise awareness of issues within the wider organisation, positively influence change, and provide a source of support for individuals who may be facing challenge at work.
We have six staff networks as follows:
- Disability, Carer’s & Advocates (DCA) Network
- ONE Network
- Proud Network
- Military Network
- Women’s Network
- Student Network
Gender Pay Gap
The gender pay gap is the difference in average pay between the men and women in the workforce. It is different to equal pay, which means you must pay men and women the same for equal or similar work.
As an employer with 250 employees or more, the Trust must now publish gender pay gap data every year. This requirement came into force 6th April 2017 and the latest report can be viewed here WMAS Gender Pay Gap Report 2022.
Employers need to publish six calculations showing:
- mean gender pay gap in hourly pay
- median gender pay gap in hourly pay
- mean bonus gender pay gap
- median bonus gender pay gap
- proportion of males and females receiving a bonus payment
- proportion of males and females in each pay quartile
Mean is the average hourly rate of pay, calculated by adding the hourly pay rate for employees then dividing by the number of employees. Median is the middle hourly pay rate, when you arrange your pay rates in order from lowest to highest.
The data will be required to publish on the WMAS web site and through the government gender pay gap reporting website. The Trust has started preparations on the data for the prescribed compliance date next year.