Diversity and inclusion are about recognising that we're all different and have varying needs.
Age, disability, gender reassignment (including non-binary), marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation are some of the factors which can mean that people have different experiences or may face additional barriers and prejudice.
These are ‘protected characteristics’ under the Equality Act (2010). This means it is unlawful to treat someone less favourably because of any of these factors.
We're committed to taking equality, diversity and inclusion into account in everything we do. This includes providing and transforming services, employing people, procuring goods and services, developing policies, communicating, and involving people in our work.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report for 2023/24 (PDF: 9.3MB) demonstrates how we’re working towards our goals of:
It reflects not only our legal requirements but goes beyond that to reflect our commitment to doing ‘good business’, to harness the benefits of diversity to deliver great services for our customers, and to be a great place to work by putting our people at the heart of everything we want to do.
How are we doing
We have:
- retained our ‘Gold Standard Employer’ status in the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion’s TIDE benchmark for the fourth year running and were ranked first for the third year running
- been awarded Carer Confident Level 2: Accomplished accreditation, recognising our commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive workplace for carers, achieved through collaboration and practical support initiatives with input from our Disability and Neurodiversity network
- delivered and concluded a successful second cohort of our bespoke Reciprocal Mentoring for Inclusion Programme
- concluded 2 cohorts of our development programme for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues, with a third currently taking place
- continued to support LGBTQ+ equality groups and communities by attending and supporting Pride events including Sparkle Weekend, a festival celebrating gender diversity and collaborating with external organisations to support learning, development and allyship
Wellbeing and inclusion impact analysis
We conduct wellbeing and inclusion impact analysis to assess the impact that changes can have on people who access or interact with our services. We carry out our assessments as early as possible in the change process, so we can change the scope and nature of any changes if we need to.
The assessment looks at how changes impact equality groups, the physical and mental wellbeing of our NHSBSA colleagues, and make sure our contracts have social value for the public.
Our assessments make sure that business changes follow the requirements of:
- The Equality Act 2010
- The Public Service Equality Duty
- The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- The Social Value Act 2012
- The Modern Slavery Act 2015
To request a copy of any wellbeing and inclusion impact analysis assessments, email nhsbsa.colleagueexperience@nhsbsa.nhs.uk with the subject header 'WIA Assessment Request'.
