Equality and Diversity Impact Assessments

The aims of Impact Assessments are:

• To avoid new or updated policies, strategies or re-organisational proposals inadvertently discriminating against ethnic communities or diversity groups
• To help managers scrutinise and if necessary modernise policies and strategies to reflect the current legislative framework

 

Background

In 2001, the Scottish Government Policy 'Fair For All' was published. 'Fair For All' required all NHS Boards to Impact Assess their new or updated policies, strategies or re-organisational proposals, in terms of the Equality and Diversity legislation and 'Good Practice' guidelines. The NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004, de facto, turned this policy into a specific legal duty, which came into effect on 30th September 2004.

The Equality and Diversity Manager of NHS Grampian is a trained Impact Assessor Trainer, who has trained 53 NHS Grampian managers and staff to be Level One Equality and Diversity Impact Assessors. This ensures that each department that routinely produces policies and strategies has within it, someone who can Impact Assess documents at an early stage. More courses are planned to further increase this number.

In a spirit of joint working and mutual co-operation, NHS Grampian has also trained Impact Assessors for:

• Aberdeen City Council
• Aberdeenshire Council
• NHS Orkney
• NHS Shetland
• Orkney Council
• Orkney Housing Association
• The Moray Council
• Three local charities

As required by legislation, NHS Grampian publishes on its website a list of the policies, strategies and re-organisational proposals which have been Equality and Diversity Impact Assessed. Copies of the Rapid Impact Assessment Checklist (RIC) RIC Summary Sheet and Comments Sheet are available on request, for any policy listed. Copies of full EQIA documentation, when this has been undertaken for a policy, strategy or re-organisational proposal, will also be provided.

NHS Grampian documents Equality and Diversity Impact Assessed in the period 1st January 2022 to 31st July 2022 (pdf)

 

Published: 08/08/2023 11:53