Organising to influence and challenge public health

decisions

Brenda Weston – Policy and Research

What contributes to ‘Public Health’

Prevention rather than cure!Addressing the causes of health

inequalities• Education • Housing • Employment • Family/community • Lifestyles • Transport • Identifying specific risk factors for particular groups

What do we want to achieve?

The specific public health needs of a ‘protected’ group or groups are understood and represented in the services commissioned• Age • Disability• Gender reassignment• Marriage and civil partnership• Pregnancy and maternity• Race• Religion or belief• Sex• Sexual orientation

Who/what do we need to influence or challenge?

• Health and Well Being Boards• Local councils• Clinical Commissioning Groups• Service providers• HealthWatch activities• Content of JSNAs

What ‘levers’ do we have?• The law

– Equality Act– NHS legislation governing public health– Human Rights Act– Regulatory bodies – CQC/Audit Commission– Freedom of Information Act

• Equality standards – Equality Standard for Local Government– NHS Equality Delivery System

Public Sector Equality Duty(PSED)

“… requires public bodies, and others who exercise public functions, to have due regard to the need to

eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity; and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it.”

The PSED Specific Duties Regulations, 2011Public bodies will be required to:

publish ‘specific and measurable’ equality objectives by 6 April 2012, then every four years;

publish information at least annually to demonstrate their compliance with the general Equality Duty

relating to their employees (for bodies with 150 or more staff) and others affected by their policies and practices - such as service users.

Information must be accessible to the public (but) can be included within another published document.

Equality data

Under the requirements of the general duty to have ‘due regard’ to the matters set out in the Act

• “public bodies will need to understand the effect of their policies and practices on equality…

• this will involve looking at evidence, engaging with … staff, service users and others and…

• considering the effect of what they do on the whole community”.

(Quoted from: Equality Act 2010: The public sector Equality Duty: reducing bureaucracy)

Statistics aren’t enough!• “Young people who are LGB face particular problems,

including the risk of family disruption and rejection, isolation from friends and peers, and significant levels of bullying (verbal, emotional and physical) in schools.”

• “There is an overarching need for health and social care professionals to receive appropriate training in relation to gender dysphoria and the kinds of interventions and care required...”

• “... refused a smear test by GP as (I am a) lesbian, despite previously insisting (this is) necessary.”

• “Lack of sexual health info for LGBT people.”

• “HIV - disclosing personal issues within healthcare settings !! (privacy , confidentiality)

Some sources of equality evidence• Equality and Human Rights Commission

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publications/our-research/research-reports/

• Equality South West www.equalitysouthwest.org.uk • Government Equalities Office

http://homeoffice.gov.uk/equalities/research/ • The Runnymede Trust (BME communities) http://www.runnymedetrust.org/ • Stonewall http://www.stonewall.org.uk/ • Terrence Higgins Trust (LGB) http://www.tht.org.uk/informationresources/ • Mermaids (young Transgender) http://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/ • (Transgender) Gender Identity Research and Education Society

www.gires.org.uk • Press for Change (Transgender) http://www.pfc.org.uk/Research.html • NHS Choices www.nhs.uk/• End Violence Against Women

http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/ • Women’s Aid http://www.womensaid.org.uk/ • Fawcett Society http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=100 • Disability Alliance http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ • Office for Disability Issues http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/common/publications-

index.php