Our approach to equality and diversity
The Trust believes in making every effort to be a fair and unbiased organisation.
Further to this, the Trust aspires to be an organisation that embraces and values people, recognising the benefits that diversity brings to the Trust both as an employer and in the delivery of services.
Negative behaviour can have a direct impact on patient experience. A lack of compassion, poor attitude or bullying is a destructive element within any team or organisation where it exists. It also contributes significantly to workplace stress.
As a public body within the NHS the Trust expects a continuous and exemplary commitment from all staff regardless of pay grade or position, taking a proactive approach to equality, diversity, human rights and the care quality commission’s essential standards of quality and safety.
As an employer the Trust is developing an organisational culture in which diversity is valued and staff are able to promote equality and challenge unlawful harassment, discrimination and bullying.
We do this to ensure that staff, service users and their carers receive fair and equal treatment throughout their employment or their care.
The Equality Act 2010
The Trust takes a proactive approach to equality and diversity and gives fair and equal consideration to all nine protected characteristics.
The public sector equality duty requires all public authorities, including the Trust to demonstrate ‘due regard’ both as an employer and as a health care provider.
The Trust will continue to complete equality analyses on policies, functions, strategies and services. We believe that this is essential, especially if we are to monitor the Trust’s impact on equality. Equality analyses have been carried out on all Trust policies and procedures.
Publication of information
The Trust publishes information that demonstrates how it complies with the three aims of the public sector equality duty. This information is published annually for patients and staff.
The specific duties require the Trust to publish information to show progress on its equality objectives. The 2019 workforce monitoring document, the workforce race equality standard summary document, the workforce disability equality standard and workforce sexual orientation equality standard contain a range of quantitative and qualitative information, demonstrating the Trust’s progress in relation to employment.
The Workforce Race Equality Standard, the Workforce Disability Equality Standard and the Workforce Sexual Orientation Equality Standard were approved by the Trust Board of Directors in September 2020.
TEWV’s Equality Strategy 2020 – 2023
The Trust must set and publish equality objectives at least every four years. The Trust has published five equality objectives which form part of its equality strategy. If you are interested in reading more about our equality objectives you can do so by accessing our equality strategy.
Championing diversity
Find out about how we champion diversity.
NHS Equality Delivery System
The equality delivery system (EDS) was designed for the NHS to help organisations improve equality performance and embed equality into mainstream NHS business. The EDS is seen as a way for NHS organisations to meet the requirements of the equality act 2010. The EDS is based on a set of 18 outcomes grouped into four goals:
- Better health outcomes for all
- Improved patient access and experience
- Empowered, engaged and included staff
- Inclusive leadership at all levels
These outcomes focus on the major priorities for patients, carers, the public, local communities, NHS staff and boards.
On completion of the EDS and the outcomes the Trust’s performance is analysed and graded. The final grades are then approved by health watch.
Nine of the 18 outcomes of the EDS2 2020 have been assessed, graded and approved with regards to staff working for TEWV and in line with the EDS2 goals. The outcomes relating to patients and services will be assessed and available to review in 2021.
- You can read a copy of the Trust’s 2020 EDS here; Equality and Diversity
The Trust is not complacent and we know there is still much work to do. We will continue to work with service users, carers, staff, other organisations and members of the public to ensure that we are consistently fair, and that our services meet the needs of our diverse communities.
This can only be achieved by working together to eliminate inequality wherever it exists and to promote fairness and inclusion in everything we do. This includes:
- Access to Trust services
- Provision of Trust services
- Delivery of Trust services
- Employment
The Trust has achieved the investors in people standard and signed the mindful employer charter.
Our collective promise to our Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) colleagues and communities
Healthcare leaders across the north east and Yorkshire are committed to better supporting people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.
This includes ensuring fairness for all and embedding a culture where, no matter your race and/or background, your personal experience, either as a staff member or as someone who access health and care services, it is one that is not influenced by any bias, be it unconscious or not.
A collective promise has been established to capture this commitment. Our Trust Board approved and committed to the collective promise on 27 October 2020. In addition Board members are committed to:
- participating in the Trust’s reverse mentoring programme and receiving mentoring from a BAME member of staff
- hearing directly from BAME staff through participation in a Board seminar with BAME staff
- contributing to future BAME leadership programmes
- attendance at the BAME staff network
- ensuring actions in the Trust Workforce Race Equality Action plan are undertaken.
Equal care for all
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust endeavours to deliver ‘equal care for all’.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what kind of background you are from or what kind of relationship you’re in, you’ll still get the same quality care and treatment from TEWV.
Our ‘equal care for all’ campaign promotes a message of inclusivity in the health care that we deliver. The campaign started back in 2012 and is ongoing.
We recognise that there can be many different types of family, for example same sex couples with children, single parents, families from different religions, backgrounds and race, extended biological families who may be providing care to their loved ones of a variety of ages.
At TEWV we believe that equality and respect are essential if we are to fully promote and value the wellbeing of service users and staff.
Contact us
For more information about our equality and diversity team
Tel: 0191 333 6267
