NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is committed to designing and implementing policies, procedures and commissioning services that meet the diverse needs of our local population and workforce, ensuring that none are placed at a disadvantage over others.
The ICB will publish its Annual Equality Report at the end of March each year. The principle of publication for the ICB is that the Annual report includes an update on progress against the Equality Delivery System 2 (EDS2) framework and should be viewed in company with the ICB’s equality objectives reports. The ICB’s Equality Strategy further details our strategic intentions, which are designed to ensure Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights (EIHR) remains at the heart of what we do. This ensures the best possible outcomes for the local community; ICB staff and especially those seldom heard groups who experience health inequalities.
1. Workforce data and staff support
2. Visible leaders to champion EDHR
3. EDHR training
4. Standards and Charter Marks
5. Equality Objective for Lincolnshire ICB to support BAME staff and communities in response to national reports.
Objective: Implement actions within the new NHS Lincolnshire ICB to assess the disproportionate impact of Covid 19 on BAME staff and communities in line with the associated health inequalities issues raised in the PHE disparities report.
Actions with regards to the workforce:-
ICBs and NHS England play key roles in addressing equality and health inequalities; as commissioners, as employers and as local and national system leaders, in creating high quality care for all. ICBs and NHS England have two separate key duties, one on equality and one on health inequalities. Both require informed consideration by decision makers, but it is important to appreciate that they are two distinct duties.
Equality Act 2010 – Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
As an authorised public sector organisation, NHS Lincolnshire ICB is required by the Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998 to work in ways that ensure equality and inclusion is embedded into all of its functions. It is the intention of the ICB to eliminate unfair and unlawful discriminatory practices in line with current equality and Human Rights legislation. There are a number of duties which the ICB must address:
The characteristics which are protected under the Equality Act 2010 are:
Health and Social Care Act 2012 – Health Inequalities Duty
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 introduced the first legal duties on addressing health inequalities, with specific duties on NHS England and ICBs. Under the Act, NHS Lincolnshire ICB has duties to:
More information about meeting the equality and health inequalities legal duties can be found on the NHS England website.
The EDS was developed as a product by the Equality and Diversity Council of the NHS Commissioning Board (now NHS England). More information about the EDS can be found on the NHS England website. The Equality Act 2010 requires ICBs to annually publish information which demonstrates the progress they are making against Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights. EDS2/equality reports and related documents are published below:
Equality Delivery System 2 (EDS2) – Including Annual Equality Reporting
2022
Equality summary report of outcomes for April 2021 – March 2022
2021
Equality Delivery System 2 (EDS2) summary report April 2020 – March 2021
The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard has been in place for a number of years and places obligations on both Commissioners and Providers of services. ICBs and Provider organisations are required to publish an annual update template showing outcomes for White and BAME staff and develop action plans to address any issues that emerge. NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board is also required to monitor and assure itself that those organisations providing services on its behalf have implemented the standard. The ICB’s reporting template and action plans can be found below:
Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) Report 2021-2022 including the WRES Action Plan for 2022-23
The WRES technical guidance documents and all other WRES resources are available via the NHS England equality web page.
The Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) is a set of ten specific measures (metrics) that will enable NHS organisations to compare the experiences of disabled and non-disabled staff. This information will then be used to develop a local action plan, and enable NHS organisations to demonstrate progress against the indicators of disability equality. The WDES came into force across NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts on 1 April 2019 and is restricted to those organisations for the first two years. The implementation of the WDES will enable NHS organisations to better understand the experiences of their disabled staff. It will support positive change for existing employees, and enable a more inclusive environment for disabled people working in the NHS. Like WRES on which the WDES is in part modelled, it will also allow NHS Lincolnshire ICB to identify good practice.
The WDES Technical Guidance and other resources are available via the NHS England website.
The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand, and any communication support that they need from health and care services. The Standard tells health and social care organisations how they should make sure that patients and service users, and their carers and parents, can access and understand the information they are given. This includes making sure that people get information in accessible formats. The Standard also tells organisations how they should make sure that people get support from a communication professional if they need it, and about changing working practices to support effective communication.
AIS Information sheet for Providers of Health and Social Care and ICB’s