Equality and Diversity

Equality, Diversity and Human Rights

The NHS in Southwark is committed to equality, diversity and human rights.

We have an excellent track record in this area having developed and implemented our single equality scheme as early as 2006, conducted in-depth and wide-ranging equality impact assessments, developed and delivered leading-edge equality and human rights training programme for all its staff and contributed to the Department of Health’s pioneering “Human Rights in Healthcare” framework.

To improve the health and wellbeing of local communities, Southwark Business Support Unit as part of NHS South East London believes in promoting equality and valuing diversity by working together to continually improve and value everyone’s unique contribution.

Local NHS organisations will be working with service users, local interest groups and staff to develop this in line with the requirements of the Act.

For 2012-2013, NHS Southwark is exploring a number of equality objectives that will help reduce health inequalities and provide better outcomes in commissioning service access/delivery.  The list is available here.

Public Sector Equality Duty Compliance

In October 2010, the Equality Act 2010 came into effect bringing with it a new – legal – public sector equality duty (PSED) requiring public bodies to declare their compliance with the duty on an annual basis.

This means that NHS in Southwark must show compliance with both the general and specific duties of the PSED. For the general duty showing how we have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it
• Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

Protected characteristics – in the context of the PSED – are defined as:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race (this includes ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality)
• Religion or belief ( this includes lack of belief)
• Sex (male & female)
• Sexual orientation
• Marriage and Civil Partnership (but only in the need to eliminate discrimination)

The specific duty requires public bodies to:

• Publish information to demonstrate compliance with the general duty by 31 January 2012
• Publish data on the make up of the workforce by 31 January 2012
• Publish data on those affected by NHS Southwark’s policies and procedures by 31 January 2012 Publish one or more equality objectives covering a 4 year period by 6 April 2012

Our compliance report is available here and this will be updated over the coming months as we make further progress and also on implementing the EDS. 

Further information available from Harjinder Bahra, Equality and Human Rights Manager at harjinder.bahra@southwarkpct.nhs.uk