News

NHS England Board agrees interim equality objectives

On 12 April, the NHS England Board agreed Putting Patients First: the NHS England Business Plan for 2013/14-2015/6.

We have set ourselves three interim equality objectives for April to October 2013, which will ensure that our own policy making, decisions and activities are compliant with the public sector Equality Duty, and provide system leadership to Clinical Commissioning Groups and other parts of the NHS. These are as follows:

  • NHS England will ensure that the public sector Equality Duty is embedded and reflected within all of its core business processes, including direct commissioning and workforce development.
  • NHS England will implement the Equality Delivery System (EDS) and use it to help it deliver on the general and specific duties of the public sector Equality Duty
  • NHS England will ask Clinical Commissioning Groups to adopt the EDS where they have not already done so, and will support CCGs to meet the public sector Equality Duty and to publish their own Equality Objectives by October 2013.

From April to October 2013, NHS England will carry out engagement with its staff, NHS organisations, patients and the public, and other stakeholders including the third sector, to reflect on the conduct and achievement of the interim Equality Objectives, and to agree its strategic Equality Objectives from October 2013. These strategic Equality Objectives will not focus on processes as the interim Equality Objectives do: rather, they will focus on outcomes for patients and/or staff, and be specific and measurable.

 

2 comments

  1. rosemary haycock says:

    I would like to comment on the dismal treatment we in Norfolk receive.I attend a GP surgery that has one full time GP and two part time GPs for 5700 patients,hence a 4+ week wait for any GP and 5+ for GP of choice.Also we are told that a nurse practitioner or prsctise nurse are as good as GPs.I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE AS GPs SPEND YEARS TRAINING TO BE A GP

  2. Kirit Mistry says:

    I Welcome the interim equality objectives especially the shift on outcomes for patients however i am concerned that patients from diverse communities are not being effectively engaged or heard so how will the NHS Commissioning Board monitor CCG’s and Public Health Bodies to ensure that engagement is not tokenistic but meaningful, transparent and inclusive?
    We have seen the development of Health Watch Boards in some localities have missed the opportunity to skill up members of diverse communities that were on Links Boards and as result recruitment to Health Watch Boards are not very diverse or representative of the local population.
    Also from the Interim Equality Objectives how will CCG’s and Public Health Bodies be held accountable by NHS Commissioning Board in light of the NHS Boards own limited resources and capacity for Equality and loss of key equality posts across the country?
    Kirit Mistry – Patient and Community Volunteer