Equality and Diversity

Equality and Diversity

As chair and chief executive of Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust, we are committed to promoting equality of opportunities and diversity. In leading by example, we aim to ensure that equality, diversity and human rights are embedded in all areas of our service delivery, planning and employment.

We aim to deliver excellence in all we do and recognise that equal opportunities and diversity is essential to the modernisation of healthcare services. We are committed to ensuring that in our practice as an employer all our employees are treated with dignity and respect and given equal opportunity and encouragement to progress and develop within the organisation, according to their potential.

We will also ensure that we deliver healthcare services that are accessible, responsive and appropriate for the diverse communities we serve and that we treat patients and visitors by a set of core principles including fairness, respect, equality and dignity.

We will seek to:

Create a working environment where all employees are equal and able to work effectively and successfully, free from discrimination or harassment, while having developed to reach their full potential;
Work with organisations, our employees and the local community in the development, implementation, review and refinement of our employment practices and healthcare services to promote equality of opportunity, eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote good relations and positive attitudes between or towards people of different groups;
Work to ensure that our policies, procedures and services do not discriminate against any individual or group.

Gordon Holdcroft Mary Edwards
Chair Chief Executive

Single Equality and Human Rights Scheme (SEHRS)

The Foundation Trust wishes to consult with staff, patients and visitors on its new SEHRS. We are keen to hear what YOU think about what we are proposing and also any other areas that you believe the new Scheme should cover.

Single Equality and Human Rights Scheme document*

If you would like to comment on the Foundation Trust’s SEHRS please feel free to send your comments to equality&diversity@bnhft.nhs.uk

We will also be holding a public discussion on the Foundation Trust’s SEHRS during January 2009, here at the hospital. If you would like to attend and have an opportunity to ask key members of Foundation Trust’s management questions about the SEHRS, please also provide your full name, email address (or postal address if you do not have an email account) and telephone number.

Equal Opportunities Policy

The Foundation Trust is committed to following and promoting equal opportunities both in terms of the provision of health services and in its practice as an employer. To this end, the Foundation Trust has prepared and published an Equal Opportunities Policy *

Bullying and Harassment Policy

The Foundation Trust is committed to ensuring that all employees are treated with respect and dignity and that they are able to work in an environment free from all forms of bullying and harassment. To this end, the Foundation Trust has prepared and published a Bullying and Harassment Policy*

Equality Impact Assessments

The Foundation Trust is committed to undertake and action the outcomes of impact assessments on both new and existing policies, procedures and services.Initial Equality Impact Assessments are carried out to assess whether there is, or could be, exclusion or discrimination. If this is the case, a full impact assessment will be carried out.

Equality Impact Assessments, including action plans, will be published on this website.

Equality Impact Assessment General Guidence*

iEIA Guidance *

Action Plan Template *

iEIA Screening Template *

EIA Report Template *

Relevancy Test Results & Impact Assessment Programme *

EIA Consultation Questionnaire – Version 1 *

EIA Consultation Questionnaire – Version 2 *

Equality and Diversity Reports

The Foundation Trust is committed to preparing and publishing a variety of reports on equality and diversity. These include reports and action plans on both employment and service provision issues, including equality assessment reports.
Equality and Diversity Reports *

Equality and Diversity Initiatives

The Foundation Trust will be developing a range of equality and diversity initiatives to promote its equality, diversity and human rights agenda.
Equality and Diversity Initiatives *

Equality Schemes

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 imposed upon public authorities a general duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and promote good relations between people of different racial groups. This is known as the Race Equality Duty. The Foundation Trust has a legal duty to comply with the Race Equality Duty and under specific duties to prepare and publish a Race Equality Scheme*

The 2005 amendment to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 placed a statutory duty on public authorities to promote disability equality. The legislation expects public bodies to take steps to remove barriers disabled people face when accessing employment or services. When carrying out their functions, public bodies must have due regard to eliminate unlawful disability discrimination, eliminate disability related harassment, promote equality of opportunities, promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons and encourage participation by disabled persons in public life. This is known as the Disability Equality Duty. The Foundation Trust has a legal duty to comply with the Disability Equality Duty and under the specific duties to prepare and publish a Disability Equality Scheme*

The Equality Act 2006 placed a statutory duty on public authorities when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity between men and women. This is known as the Gender Equality Duty. The Foundation Trust has a legal duty to comply with the Gender Equality Duty and under the specific duties to prepare and publish a Gender Equality Scheme*

Equality and Diversity Steering Group

The Foundation Trust has a newly established Equality and Diversity Steering Group chaired, by the Chief Executive. The purpose of the Group is to lead on the development and implementation of equality and diversity requirements and initiatives to ensure that in our practice as an employer all our employees are treated fairly and that healthcare provision is accessible, responsive and appropriate for all groups of people.
Equality and Diversity Steering Group Terms of Reference*

Equality and Diversity Steering Group Minutes

Disability Services

Child Health provides the following services for disabled children and young people:

Inter-professional assessment of health needs at Key developmental stages and through transition processes.
Planned care with a named paediatric physiotherapist, Occupational therapist, and Community Children’s Nurse according to identified need.
Special school nurse health care provision
Key worker if required by the family
Programmed respite care for those with severe learning disability and complex health needs meeting referral criteria
Participation in service planning and delivery with opportunities to feedback on service provision and to take part in key appointments to respite provision
Treetots support group for parents of young disabled children.

Translation and Interpreting Services

The Foundation Trust ensures that it meets the needs of its patients in providing equality of access to services, by providing a translation and interpreting service for patients who need or request such a service. It also enables the Trust to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and Race Relations Act 1976 in regards to translation and interpretation.
Translation and Interpreting Policy, Procedure and Guidelines*