West Midlands Strategic Health Authority’s (WMSHA) Single Equality Scheme sets out our longstanding commitment to ensuring that our services and employment practices are fair, accessible and appropriate for the diverse community we serve and the workforce we employ and are enshrined in our ‘Vision and Values’.
WMSHA plans to meet its statutory duties to promote race, disability and gender equality. The Scheme will also act as a framework for compliance with other legislation and policy guidance outlawing discrimination on the grounds of age, belief or sexual orientation. The principles of equality and fair treatment for all are therefore to be the basis for every aspect of the WMSHAs business with all external parties including PCTs, Third Party Organisations and other bodies.
Our Strategic Framework, Investing for Health Step 2, is the driving force behind our equalities agenda. It sets out our framework for improving health and health services and tackling health inequalities in the West Midlands over the next five years. A key component of the implementation strategy for Investing for Health is the joint undertaking with all PCTs of 10 major innovative Investing for Health (IfH) projects which are detailed in this pack. All of these projects have been equality impact assessed.
Because we are committed to best practice and not just legal requirements, we also intend to use the EqIA to review opportunities to promote and achieve the UK principles of Human Rights (fairness, respect, equality, dignity, & autonomy), where possible. This is not currently a legislative duty, but it provides us with an opportunity to ‘future-proof’ our policies and functions, so we are better positioned to respond to the dynamic equalities environment.
NHS West Midlands Equality and Diversity Programme Board
NHS West Midlands has formed an Equality and Diversity Steering Group made up of senior representations from across the SHA which is co-ordinated by the Director of Operations and Chaired by a Non Executive Director. Please find the most recent board minutes below .