The NHS England Patient Equalities Programme brings together a range of work to advance patient equalities and to provide advice and support on delivery of both our key legislative commitments in relation to patient equalities and the specific commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Mandate.

This work includes:

• Equality frameworks and information standards – including the Accessible Information Standard, the Sexual Orientation Monitoring Standard and the NHS Equality Delivery System
• The Learning Disability Employment Programme
• The LGBT+ Health team who work to ensure that the needs of LGBT+ people are considered throughout the health system
• Providing the secretariat to the independent NHS Equality and Diversity Council

There are also web pages in this section that set out the range of legislation and duties on NHS England and the wider NHS, including the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty, the Health Inequalities duties under NHS Legislation and other statutory guidance.

The Patient Equalities team is also responsible for maintaining NHS England’s organisational equality objectives.

The Patient Equalities Programme has close links with key internal partners (across the Nursing Directorate, the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme and the People Directorate) and key external partners (including the Equality and Human Rights Commission).