Equality and Diversity

Equality Objectives 2021 - 2023

The Equality Act asks public sector organisations, including NHS organisations, to publish at least one Equality Objective. Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust will publish four objectives which have originated from our knowledge of Lincolnshire demographics and engagement with local communities. The objectives are also inspired by the Equality Delivery System (EDS), Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES), Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES), Accessible Information Standard and the Sexual Orientation Monitoring Standard.

Due to the impact of Covid-19 and the Public Health England (PHE) report, ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19’, published June 2020 LCHS’ equality objectives which were developed during 2020/21 to include covid-19 actions and these continued for 2021/22. Therefore, a decision was taken to focus on key areas of impact highlighted within LCHS’s equality objectives, as detailed below:

Deliver the System Wide Pilot of the revised Equality Delivery System

This revised version of the EDS was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement for the NHS Equality and Diversity Council (EDC) with, and on behalf of, the NHS. It has been designed to fit with local and regional NHS re-organisation. The Lincolnshire NHS System has been asked to be involved in the revised EDS. Work as a system has been underway particularly around staff and leadership.

To consider and develop engagement and actions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on local vulnerable communities

Research in June 2020, by PHE looking at the impact of COVID-19 taking account age, sex, deprivation, region and ethnicity. Also, to be considered is the existence of comorbidities, which are strongly associated with the risk of death from COVID-19 and are likely to explain some of the differences.

To consider and develop engagement and actions regarding the impact of COVID-19 and vulnerable staff both BAME and people with disabilities
Staff networks and forums in place
Trust Board BAME advisor attends public Trust board
MAPLE members attended the Trust Board
System-wide webinars to celebrate Black and Disability History Month
Risk assessment for all staff in place
NHS Staff Survey
Evaluate health and wellbeing offer

Listen, care, act and improve on existing health inequalities and increased health inequalities due to COVID 19

In the PHE report, the largest disparity found was by age. A ‘rapid response’ Equality Impact Assessment was developed as a system and is has now been embedded across the tree NHS Trusts in Lincolnshire. This new EIA also incorporated health inequalities to be considering during services or policy change.

Due to the constant changing situation that LCHS operates within and the external factors influencing this, it has been agreed that LCHS will have yearly equality objectives. For 2022/23 the identified Equality objectives are:

Create a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture of ‘Belonging’
Evolve a culture of civility and respect
Promoting and supporting inclusive leadership and cultural intelligence at the Board, senior leadership team and across the organisation
Use data to understand and respond to the equality risks
Increasing diversity across all bands, in particular band 7 and above
Work to reduce the inequalities experienced by staff and applicants from all protected characteristics to improve experience and engagement of staff within the workplace
Embed the reviewed EDS

Public Sector Equality Duty

The general equality duty is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). In summary, those subject to the equality duty must, in the exercise of their functions, have due regard to the need to:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristics and those who do not.
Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The specific duties in summary are a need to publish information:

publish sufficient information to demonstrate its compliance with the general equality duty across its functions on a basis.

This information must include, in particular:

Information on the effect that its policies and practices have had on people who share a relevant protected characteristic, to demonstrate the extent to which it furthered the aims of the general equality duty for its employees and for others with an interest in the way it performs its functions.

AccessAble

Gender Pay Gap Statement

Click here to view the statement.