The Trust

Equality Act information

East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to strengthening its performance against the Equality Delivery System (EDS) launched by the Department of Health in 2012. This provides a tool which will help us to deliver against our statutory Equality Act requirements in promoting equality and the value of the diversity of our staff and service users. The EDS is a tool which can be used in every NHS organisation in England. In partnership with patients, the public, staff and staff-side organisations are involved to review equality performance and to identify future priorities and actions.

Equality Delivery System
Equality objectives 2012/16
Workforce monitoring
Trust equality reports
Service information
Equality and Human Rights action plan
Equality analysis (impact assessment)

Equality Delivery System (EDS)

In order to ensure we maintain our commitment towards continuous equality improvements and meet our requirements under the Equality Act, the trust will be assessed by its stakeholders against the newly developed Equality Delivery System.

Equality Delivery System for the NHS information guide

Equality Delivery System grades manual

EDS assessments

The Equality Delivery System is a national framework against which performance on equality can be assessed in organisations. In March 2012, East Cheshire NHS Trust presented its evidence on equality performance to a panel of local stakeholders. The aim of the EDS system is to improve year on year.

View the results of the assessment.

The trust was assessed as developing in 15 out of 18 outcomes, and was assessed as achieving in two outcomes, these being:

2.1 Patients, carers and communities can readily access services, and should not be denied access on unreasonable grounds.

3.1 Recruitment and selection processes are fair, inclusive and transparent, so that the workforce becomes as diverse as it can be within all occupations and grades.

The trust was assessed as undeveloped in one outcome:

4.3 The organisation uses the 'Competency Framework for for Equality and Diversity Leadership' to recruit, develop and support strategic leaders to advance equality outcomes.

Following the assessment the trust has continued to actively improve upon the areas identified as part of the Equality Delivery System. The Trust will be assessed again in March 2013.

Workforce monitoring

East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to building a workforce which is valued and whose diversity reflects the community it serves, enabling it to deliver the best possible healthcare service. In response to the public sector equality duty, the trust produces workforce monitoring reports.

The trust has a statutory duty to produce and publish monitoring information on a range of workforce categories. The workforce monitoring information enables the Trust's Safety, Quality and Standards Committee to assess trends in employment practices, manage employee relation issues and inform positive action in relation to the overall equality agenda.

The workforce monitoring reports can also be downloaded from the right hand menu.

Trust equality reports

East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to ensuring an equal and fair service for all. As well as working and reporting on our workforce, we constantly strive to improve services for our patients, carers and visitors, and to promote equality across all protected groups. Below are are number of reports submitted to our Trust Board until Summer 2010. From this point, the system was reviewed and from September 2010, quarterly reports are now submitted to the Safety, Quality and Standards (SQS) sub committee of the Board.

The equality reports can also be downloaded from the right hand menu.

Service information

The trust are committed to making changes to their practices, based on equality impact assessments and patient feedback, in order to meet patients equality needs.

View some of the trust's achievements in equality and human rights

Key ethnicity data

Analysis of patient data 2010 - 2011

17.8% (30,500) of the population in Cheshire East is over 65 compared with 15.9% nationally. This results in a high “old age” dependency ratio, ie. low numbers of working - age people supporting a high non-working dependant older population. The percentage of “older” or “frail” old is also considerably higher, with 2.3% (8,200) persons 85 and over compared to 2.1% nationally.

Cheshire East has the fastest growing older population in the North West. By 2016, the population aged 65+ will increase by 29.0% (8,845) and the population aged 85+ by 41.5% (3,403).

These figures are reflective of the demographics we are seeing in the trust. The Cheshire East situation will have an impact on the number of patients being managed by the trust and the complexity of the health and social care issues that the older person is experiencing. In addition the staffing profile of ECT will change to include an increasing number of staff over 65 in the workforce.

Actions being taken by the trust as a result of this information

1. Trust is an active member of the Ageing Well project across Cheshire East and has established a task group and action plan

2. New clinical strategy which is currently being prepared reflects the demography of the area and has a focus on older people, a fact reflected in the equality analysis

3. Ongoing work around older people and dignity.

4. Dementia steering group established

5. Generic patient passports developed.

The Cohesia Report 2008 is based on the 2005 mid year estimate of the numbers of black and minority ethnic people living in Cheshire. It shows that the majority of the population in Cheshire (94.6%) is white British.

Looking at East Cheshire MHS Trust’s patient ethnicity data for 2010-2011, it would suggest that the number of black and minority ethnic (BME) people accessing the trust is in fact higher.

There are a number of issues which may be of relevance in this case

Because the figures are from an earlier document, this may not in fact reflect the current numbers of BME people in the area
However, it could be that the trust is attracting a higher number of BME patients. (This could be a result of our focus on equality and human rights, including staff training, but this is speculation.)
There is a definite increase in the number of requests for interpretation and also translation of written material.

Actions taken by the trust as a result of this information

1. The trust’s interpretation policy has been revised.

2. The trust’s post death procedures policy has been revised.

3. New guidance on interpretation circulated to all wards and departments.

4. Continuous programme of equality and human rights training.

This analysis will be revisited when the new census data becomes available.

Equality and Human Rights action plan

Equality and Human Rights action plan

This action plan is a working document reflecting the current equality and human rights work of the trust. It is updated on a quarterly basis and will be next updated in January 2013.

Equality Analysis (Impact Assessment)

An Equality Analysis (Impact Assessment) is a vital tool for ensuring that the services we provide, the work that we do and our practices, meet the needs of our diverse community. The trust has recently refined the equality analysis process to ensure that assessments are meaningful and are used to improve and promote equality throughout our services, policies, strategies and procedures.

View the Equality Impact Assessment form

A number of examples of trust Equality Impact Assessments carried out for a variety of projects and policies can be seen below and downloaded from the right hand menu.