The Equality Act 2010 - How we meet our duties

Refreshed 2013 Public Sector Equality Duty

The PCT has typically produced reports to support Equality as set out under the General and Specific Duties of the Equality Act 2006.

The purpose of the report was to outline the equality and diversity programme of work across the organisation including employment, service provision and commissioning. In addition, to highlight achievements, outline baseline data and articulate the strategy and action plans to manage equality objectives.

Equality, diversity and human rights are central to the Government’s NHS modernisation strategy, and are integral to the challenging agenda faced by the NHS for the future. The purpose of the equality and diversity programme of work is to reduce the inequalities, eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good relationships between different groups of people.

At the present time under the current NHS Reform and Transition Programme, Primary Care Trusts will be abolished on 31 March 2013.

As the Statutory Duty to report will transfer to the new Employing Organisations along with relevant data it is the intention not to report at this time but to suspend production of future reports until the new Employing Organisations become Legal entities, and they will then establish new accurate reports in line with the General and Specific Duties of the Equality Act 2006.

Equality at NHS Sheffield

NHS Sheffield believes in fairness, equity and above all values diversity in all aspects of its work, as a commissioner and provider of health services and as employers of people.
We are committed to eliminating discrimination as a result of gender, age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, pregnancy or maternity, marriage and civil partnership or social class. We aim to commission and provide accessible services, delivered in a way that respects the needs of each individual and does not exclude anyone.
NHS Sheffield also aims to ensure that it employs and develops a healthcare workforce that is diverse, non discriminatory and appropriate to deliver modern healthcare.
NHS Sheffield intends to embed its equality and diversity values into every day practice, policies and procedures so that equality and diversity becomes the norm for all.

We have a number of corporate documents, policies and reviews committed to promoting the equality and diversity agenda for both staff within the organisation and for patients for whom we commission services. If you click on this link you can find out how we make sure equality and diversity is a central part of what we do as part of our legal duty.

Some examples of these are our:

Equality & Diversity Annual Reports

Equality Impact Assessments

NHS Sheffield's existing Single Equality Scheme

NHS Sheffield is working in partnership in four areas to support compliance with the Equality Act:

With the new Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group which received delegated responsibility from the NHS South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw Trust Board in October 2011. (Please click here to view their prospectus)
Locally across the Equalities Networks of health and public sector organisations
Regionally across the NHS South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw Cluster of 5 Primary Care Trusts (NHS Barnsley, NHS Bassetlaw, NHS Doncaster, NHS Rotherham and NHS Sheffield).
The Department of Health and Strategic Health Authority to implement the NHS Equality Delivery System (more information click here)

Consultations & Feedback

In addition to our duties to consult for the Equality Act we also have a duty to consult under the NHS Act 2006 section 24A. This Duty applies to Primary Care Trusts who should report on their own activity plus that of the Trusts it commissions services from.

Our strategy Achieving Balanced Health (ABH) has an overall aim to “improve the health of all of the people of Sheffield”. In order to do this we are continually developing our ongoing dialogue with the people of Sheffield.

In fact one of our three goals is to develop services based on the needs of individuals. It is an NHS Sheffield value that we will ensure active engagement with public, patients, staff and clinicians.