Our commitment
At NHS Bury our business is one of driving up health care standards and the health of our local communities. As leaders of the Trust we have a key responsibility to ensure that members of the Trust board, executive team, managers and all staff promote equality, fair treatment and social inclusion at all times.
We are keen to ensure that our modern health care services recognise and deliver culturally sensitive, inclusive, accessible and appropriate services which make a difference to individual lives and to ensure that the services we provide do so without discrimination. We are committed to ensure that our approach to our staff is the same as our approach to our service users being open and transparent, focussed and valuing.
As a major employer and commissioner of health care services, we recognise the diversity of the people and communities in and around Bury. We are committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination promoting equality, value diversity and good relations with people from all equality target groups regardless of their race, ethnicity, cultural background, religion, belief, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age, employment, or responsibilities as a carer.
Meeting legal duty
NHS Bury as a public sector organisation is statutorily required to ensure that diversity, equality and human rights are embedded into all Trust functions and activities as per the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the NHS Constitution 2009. The Trust is also required to meet the single equality duty from April 2011 as set out below.
Public bodies such as the Trust must, in the exercise of their function, have due regard to the need to:
- Aim 1: Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
- Aim 2: Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
- Aim 3: Foster good relations between people who share protected characteristics and those who do not.
This means that the Trust board and its employees should:
- Work towards removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
- Take steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
- Encourage people from protected groups to participate in pubic life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.
NHS Bury’s aim is to uphold the above aims and to close the gap in health inequalities.
What does equality and diversity mean?
Equality
Equality is about creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Supported by legislation designed to address unfair discrimination. It is often summarised in terms of equal access, equal treatment, and equal outcomes.
Diversity
Diversity is about the recognition and valuing of difference in its broadest sense. It is about creating a working culture and practices which recognise, respect, value and harness difference for the benefit of the organisation, the individual and the patients and communities we serve.
Diversity is more about the collective mix of cultures, beliefs, expertise than just the focus on the individual equality strands supported by legislation.
Click here to view NHS Bury’s core values and principles on equality and diversity