WHAT DOES EQUALITY MEAN FOR ME?Equality in Nottingham Cityand Nottinghamshire County

So what are we doing locally in Nottinghamshire?

NHS Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County are committed to promoting equality, valuing diversity and combating unfair treatment. We have made equality and diversity one of our top priorities for both our patients and our staff.

Our Single Equality and Diversity Strategy

To ensure that we deliver on these priorities and do what we say we are going to do, we have developed a strategy to guarantee that we continue to provide quality services and employment for all. We have called this the Single Equality and Diversity Strategy (SEDs) and it incorporates the Equality Delivery System (EDS). Visit www.nottspct.nhs.uk.

We will work with GPs and clinicians, NHS staff and most importantly you – our communities and patients – to consult and engage to ensure we improve NHS services wherever you live and whenever you need them.

So what does this mean for me?

The EDS will ensure, everyone – patients, public and staff – have a voice in how organisations are performing and where they should improve in relation to healthy living and working lives. It will assist NHS organisations to ensure that there is no discrimination against people with the nine protected characteristics.

Because every NHS organisation in England is using the EDS, it means that wherever you go for NHS services you will find organisations working to the same set of 18 outcomes around equality and human rights which are grouped into four goals.

These are:• Better health outcomes for all • Improved patient access and experience • Empowered, engaged and included staff • Inclusive leadership at all levels

So what does this mean and how will it be achieved?

Following the Government White Paper ‘Liberating the NHS’, primary care services in Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City split into six Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) which cover the whole of Nottinghamshire including Nottingham City.

Each CCG is led by a Governing Body including GPs, clinicians, and ‘lay’ representatives, who have a local focus and understand the priorities of patients and the local community.

WHAT DOES EQUALITY MEAN FOR ME?Equality in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire

New Regulations take effect

New regulations came into force in September 2011 requiring all public bodies, including NHS organisations, to publish information on steps they are taking to comply with the equality duty under the 2010 Equality Act.

The equality duty requires public bodies to prevent unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people from different backgrounds and social groups with the following nine ‘protected characteristics’:

• Age• Disability• Gender reassignment• Marriage and civil partnership• Pregnancy and maternity• Race• Religion and belief• Sex (Gender)• Sexual orientation

To make this a reality, NHS trade unions and NHS Employers consulted with more than 3,000 patients, carers and people who work in the NHS and voluntary sector to develop a framework to help organisations to deliver these requirements. This is called the Equality Delivery System (EDS) and it was launched on 11 November 2011 by Sir David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive and Chair of the NHS Equality and Diversity Council.

We will work with GPs and clinicians, NHS staff and most importantly you – our communities and patients

What does equality mean for me? Equality in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County

CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUPS IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

All six CCGs have highlighted equality priorities and objectives which they will develop and shape further. They will be required to publish these under the public sector equality duty.

Annually, every CCG will assess the needs of their population. In this assessment they will evaluate the people with protected characteristics within their area and the local health needs.

For you this means your local community has been assessed by local healthcare commissioners who plan and pay for services and the local health requirements and gaps in provision have been identified. This will form the basis of the plans to ensure the health services provided are appropriate and will reduce health inequalities while promoting equality and inclusion.

What does this mean for my local area?

To make the EDS and SEDs work properly it is extremely important that we not only speak to the whole community in Nottinghamshire (you), but also that we get you involved in the process.

There will be opportunities for local communities to help us direct what we do around equality and diversity.This could mean you being involved in rating how well we are performing. However it could also mean that you help us to develop our services to ensure that they meet the needs of all protected characteristics.

MANSFIELD & ASHFIELDPopulation 182,666

NEWARK & SHERWOOD Population 127,000

NOTTINGHAM NORTH & EASTPopulation 143,297

NOTTINGHAM WEST Population 94,407

NOTTINGHAM CITY Population 336,921

RUSHCLIFFE PRINCIPIA(Including Kegworth)

Population 121,397

MANSFIELD & ASHFIELD

NEWARK & SHERWOOD

NOTTINGHAM NORTH & EAST

NOTTINGHAM WEST

NOTTINGHAM CITY

RUSHCLIFFE PRINCIPIA

All six CCGs have highlighted equality priorities and objectives which they will develop and shape further

What does equality mean for me? Equality in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County

CONTACT USIf you would like to get in touch with someone to become involved or to find out more, please contact:

Kate Davies - Executive Lead for Equalities Tracy Bircumshaw - PA to the Cluster Medical Director & Executive Lead for Equalities

Email: Kate.Davies2@nottspct.nhs.uk Tracy.Bircumshaw@nottspct.nhs.uk

Website: www.nottspct.nhs.uk / www.nottinghamcity.nhs.uk Send a letter: Medical Directorate NHS Nottinghamshire County Birch House Ransom Wood Business Park Southwell Road West Mansfield NG21 0HJ

Telephone: 0300 300 1234

Your Clinical Commissioning Group Equality Contact:

Newark & Sherwood Zoe.Butler@nottspct.nhs.uk 01636 594869

NHS Nottingham City Lucy.Branson@nottinghamcity.nhs.uk 0115 8839538

Nottingham West Helen.Cawthorne@nottspct.nhs.uk 0115 8835009 Racheal.Patterson@nottspct.nhs.uk 0115 8835224

Nottingham North and East Rachael.Rees@nottspct.nhs.uk 0115 8831713

Principia Rushcliffe Lynne.Sharp@nottspct.nhs.uk 0115 8837866 Helen.Limb@nottspct.nhs.uk 0115 8837872

Mansfield & Ashfield Julie.Andrews@nottspct.nhs.uk 01623 673329

Rating us

Using the EDS and SEDS, we, as local commissioners, will review how the services we plan and pay for on behalf of our community are performing against equality criteria.

To do this we will ask you to grade us in order to highlight areas of weakness to identify the priority areas we need to focus on.

Four grades are available:• Undeveloped - Red • Developing - Amber • Achieving - Green • Excelling - Purple

From this, we will jointly develop equality objectives and action plans with you to tackle inequalities in order to improve things and meet the equality agenda.

The aim is for the action plans to deliver improved equality performance and ensure that the things that matter the most to our service users, patients, carers, the local community and staff in terms of equality will be part of our core business.

The grades and objectives will be published annually and also shared with local communities, and updated each year.

How can I get involved?

You can do as little or as much as you want, but some of the things we need help with are:

• Being involved in community events to feedback what you think we should be doing better and what is working well.

• Getting involved on community panels and equality engagement groups, where you will use your knowledge to advise the NHS in Nottinghamshire on how it can be responsive to the needs of local communities.

• Become an EDS champion – help us take this work into the centre of communities and be trained up to deliver talks or workshops to all different groups of people.

• Just talk to us – if you have an idea or solution to a problem – why not tell us, we might be able to use it!

What does equality mean for me? Equality in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County

This information is available in a variety of languages and formats.

Please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service

( by either calling 0800 028 3693 or email pals@nottspct.nhs.uk ).