This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Diversity and Equality Strategy for NHSScotland
03/11/2003
A wider equality partnership to take forward equal
opportunities for all staff and to ensure all patients'
needs are met in NHSScotland was forged today.
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm announced that,
following on from the successful partnership fostered
between the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and
NHSScotland as a result of the "Fair for All" report, this
work will be extended to include the Disability Rights
Commission (DRC).
The Minister said:
"We are committed to ensuring that every person in
Scotland benefits from the NHSScotland irrespective of
their age, their gender, their race, their religion, their
sexuality or whether they have a disability or a sensory
impairment.
"I believe that the best way of achieving this aim is to
mainstream equal opportunities throughout NHSScotland. We
need to ensure that whenever managers and clinicians are
designing or providing services, they do so for all of the
people in the community they serve.
"Our partnership with the DRC will complement the
excellent partnership we already have with the CRE. Our
work focussed on race must, and will continue with no loss
of drive or priority."
The Minister went on to announce the development of an
Equality and Diversity Strategy which incorporates the
additional issues of disability, sexuality, religion and
belief, age and also takes account of human rights
obligations.
The Minister said:
"I believe the development of an Equality and Diversity
Strategy will enable us to make a reality of the vision
that each individual patient, carer, member of the public
and member of staff is valued and respected for who they
are.
"It will ensure that NHSScotland is provided with the
support it needs to meet their needs and the needs of staff
from minority groups or communities. And it will help us
challenge all forms of discrimination."
Bob Benson, Scottish Director of Disability Rights
Commission said:
"The Disability Rights Commission believes that this
initiative will offer a major contribution to ensuring that
NHSScotland is "Fair for All" to disabled people and that
it will assist all NHS Boards to take this forward. This
will support the Scottish Executive in delivering its
strategy for the development of equality in employment and
service delivery practices in Scotland's health services.
Thereby, making the NHS in Scotland truly modern,
accessible and patient centred."
Mick Conboy, Acting Head of the Commission for Racial
Equality Scotland
said:
"Public bodies, including NHSScotland, have faced a
significant challenge in implementing the new duties that
have resulted from the amended Race relations Act. We
welcome the publication of joint NHS/CRE report "Fair
Enough" which is a product of effective partnership work
over the past 18 months. All NHS Boards have made some
progress against their position this time last year,
however there are still significant areas to address e.g.
employment arrangements, and we will be closely monitoring
their progress over the next four months."
The development and implementation of such a strategy
will be worked on over the next 3-5 years. It will work on
three broad levels:
Strategic Level working with the wider Executive,
partners in the Equal ity Commissions and other advisory
bodies to ensure the Strategy fits with all external
demands and is robust enough to be applied to an
organisation of NHSScotland's scale.
Management Level working with NHSScotland, the
Executive Health Departm ent and other stakeholders to
broaden ownership of the developing agenda and ensure it
meets their needs.
Operational Level working at the grass roots level with
staff, patients and community groups to ensure the Strategy
is focussed on individual needs and directly addresses
discrimination as experienced.
The "Fair for All" report was published in 2001. A link
to the documentis attached:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/society/ffar-00.asp
and a link to the news release:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2001/12/SE4981.aspx