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 workforce race equality standard, 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 October 2023.

TEWV’s Equality Objectives 2023-2027

The Trust must set and publish equality objectives at least every four years. The Trust has published four equality objectives, If you are interested in reading more about these you can do so by accessing our Equality Objectives.

NHS Equality Delivery system

The main purpose of the equality delivery system (EDS)  was, and remains, to help local NHS systems and organisations, in discussion with local partners and local populations, review and improve their performance for people with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. By using the EDS 2022, NHS organisations can also be helped to deliver on the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The EDS comprises eleven outcomes spread across three Domains, which are:

1. Commissioned or provided services
2. Workforce health and well-being
3. Inclusive leadership.

The outcomes are evaluated, scored, and rated using available evidence and insight. It is these ratings that provide assurance or point to the need for improvement.

Championing diversity

Find out about how we champion diversity.

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

Email: [email protected]