All parts of the
NHS can now work out how fairly they treat patients and employees
in a systematic and robust way following the launch today (10th
November) of a new toolkit.
The Equality Delivery System (EDS) will support the NHS in
delivering personal, fair and more diverse health services in the
future. It will help the NHS to ensure staff from all backgrounds
can thrive, develop and deliver the best care possible. It will
make the NHS more accountable to all the communities it serves,
and give local people a greater say in how the NHS is run.
The EDS, initiated by the NHS Equality and Diversity Council,
was developed by the NHS for the NHS by listening to the views of
more than 3,000 patients, carers, and people who work in the NHS
and the voluntary sector.
A simple framework tool, it will
support hospitals, clinics and other key health services to think
about the individual needs of patients and staff. For example, by
using the EDS, NHS organisations will be able to:
prioritise better access to screening and other health services
for disabled men and women;
provide better primary care experiences for people from black
and minority ethnic backgrounds;
ensure that everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation
or religious beliefs are, can talk in confidence to clinicians
about their identity;
make sensible adjustments in the workplace for staff who need
support in caring for younger and older dependents.
Sir David Nicholson, Chair of the NHS Equality and Diversity
Council and NHS Chief Executive, said:
“Equality lies at the
heart of what we believe about the NHS - its values, processes and
behaviours. As we create the new health and care system, we have a
major opportunity to reiterate that in the NHS everyone counts.
Therefore, as we build a service that is personal, fair and
diverse to its core, we are putting patients even more firmly at
the centre of the service and working harder to remove any
barriers that stop nurses and doctors reaching their full
potential. We must make sure workplaces treat employees, as well
as patients, fairly and well. The EDS, which is launched today,
will support all NHS organisations in making this a reality.”
During today’s visit to St Thomas’ Hospital in London, to see how
they are implementing the Equality Delivery System, Paul Burstow
MP, Minister of State for Care Services said:
“It is vital that we consistently deliver the best possible
experience for patients, carers and staff in the NHS and I believe
the Equality Delivery System provides the tools to do this.
“It has the potential to change the way that the NHS works for
the better, helping to promote fairness, diversity and better
patient care.”
Notes to editors:
1. For further information, contact Department of Health
press office on 020 7210 5221.
2. The EDS is launched on 10th November 2011 by Sir David
Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive and chair of the NHS Equality and
Diversity Council, at The Peepul Centre in Leicester.
3. For more information and to download your copy of the EDS
go to: http://www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/about-us/inclusion/eds/?locale=en
4. The NHS Equality and Diversity Council was established in
2009 and has a strategic role to support the NHS to deliver better
outcomes for patients, comply with the Equality Act 2010, ensuring
services and work places are personal, fair and diverse with
equality of opportunity and treatment for all. The EDC is chaired
by the NHS Chief Executive, Sir David Nicholson and its membership
includes representatives from the NHS, trade unions, patient
groups, regulators and voluntary sector who are all committed to
eliminating discrimination and can reach out to NHS staff, health
and care organisations and communities through their own networks.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk