Equality Delivery System

All four Primary Care Trusts within the Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth PCT Cluster have adopted the NHS Equality Delivery System as the framework to achieve compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

To comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty each Primary Care Trust must:

• Demonstrate due regard in the exercise of its functions to the nine protected characteristics.

• These are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation

• Publish equalities information to demonstrate compliance with the duty at least annually from January 31, 2012 in an accessible manner

• Prepare and publish one or more Equality Objectives that are specific and measurable by April 6, 2012, and at least every four years after that.

Using the NHS Equality Delivery System (EDS) each of the four PCTs across the PCT Cluster has completed a baseline assessment of progress on equality and diversity. The assessment has involved gathering evidence for each of the NHS EDS goals and outcomes from across the organisation.

Equality Delivery Scheme

The following documents are information published by the PCT that is used to identify equality issues:

 
Patient/local residents

• Annual Report

• Director of Public Health Annual Report

• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

• Board Performance Reports

• Board Quality Reports

• Board Complaints and Patient Experience Reports

• NHS Atlas of Variations in Healthcare

• NHS GP Patient Survey

• NHS Inpatient Survey

• NHS South Central Public Perceptions Survey

• Single Equality Scheme 2010/13

• Real Accountability 2010/11

Staff

• Board Human Resources Workforce Reports

• Human Resources policies

• Care Quality Commission National Staff Survey

On the basis of this evidence an initial judgement has been made about the equalities performance of the PCT. The PCT can be rated ‘undeveloped’, ‘developing’, ‘achieving’ or ‘excelling’ for each of the 18 EDS outcomes.

Interim Equality Delivery System ratings

The interim Equality Delivery System ratings are available below:

• EDS Assessment Document

• EDS Summary Document

Working with local stakeholders and representatives

A series of Equality Delivery System grading events are being held during January and February 2012 where key stakeholders and representatives for each of the protected characteristics will assess the organisation against the goals and outcomes of the Equality Delivery System.

The feedback from these events will be compared to the baseline assessment of each PCT and used to determine the final rating for each outcome and overarching goals. The grades for each PCT will in turn be used to identify and prioritise Equality Objectives.

The interim EDS grades and supporting evidence was published online on January 31, 2012 in order to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The final ratings and Equality Objectives will be published by April 6, 2012, again in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Further information

For further information on the NHS Equality Delivery System please visit the Department of Health website