Equality Delivery System (EDS v2) required Outcome summary evidence template
Please see supporting EDS Goals and Outcomes below and identify which one your evidence
supports. Evidence can be strategic or operational but must demonstrate outcomes.
We are looking for evidence for Goal 2 (Improved patient access and experience) for
grading on 17 May 2016.
All evidence must address at least one of the Equality Act ‘Protected Characteristics’ which are:
age, disability (physical, mental, sensory, learning, long term health conditions), gender,
race, religion and belief, pregnancy and maternity including breastfeeding, sexual
orientation, gender reassignment (marriage & civil partnership not included as refers to
workforce only).
Your evidence should specifically show:
How do people from protected groups fare compared to people overall [in healthcare]?
EDS required Outcome 2.1 People, carers and communities can readily access hospital,
community health or primary care services and should not be denied access on unreasonable
grounds
Evidence is put forward for external scrutiny at a public grading panel event this year. Please
think creatively about how you would like to present your evidence (stories, pictures, film, audio,
presentations, case study etc). Please ask for support if needed.
CCG: Led by Stoke CCG – for whole of Staffordshire
CSU Team: Corporate Affairs / Equality & Inclusion
Contact person: Amanda Locke 01782 298283
EDS Goal 2 and Outcome: 2.1
People, carers and communities can readily access hospital, community health or primary
care services and should not be denied access on unreasonable grounds
Syrian Refugee Programme
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Which of the following protected
characteristics have been addressed?

√Age

√Gender

Gender re-assignment

√Disability

√Race

√Religion or Belief

Sexual orientation

Marriage and Civil Partnership

Pregnancy maternity
What is the evidence for each protected group
indicated?
Syrian refugee families with high level healthcare
needs – being resettled across Staffordshire (led by
Stoke). All ages; Muslim and Christian faiths; range
of disabilities eg physical and mental health needs.
Syrian refugee families with high level healthcare
needs – being resettled across Staffordshire (led by
Stoke). All ages; Muslim and Christian faiths; range
of disabilities eg physical and mental health needs.
Syrian refugee families with high level healthcare
needs – being resettled across Staffordshire (led by
Stoke). All ages; Muslim and Christian faiths; range
of disabilities eg physical and mental health needs.
Syrian refugee families with high level healthcare
needs – being resettled across Staffordshire (led by
Stoke). All ages; Muslim and Christian faiths; range
of disabilities eg physical and mental health needs.
Syrian refugee families with high level healthcare
needs – being resettled across Staffordshire (led by
Stoke). All ages; Muslim and Christian faiths; range
of disabilities eg physical and mental health needs.
What is your evidence focus / Area of good practice
The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme is managed nationally by the
Home Office. In 2015 the UK Government made a pledge to resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in
need of protection during the term of this Parliament.
A Syrian Vulnerable Person (SVP) is defined as any person who has been classified as such
by the Authority following referral by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
and has arrived in the UK having been admitted to the Programme.
Staffordshire County Council and Stoke on Trent City Council have approval to resettle a
total of 70 Syrian refugees. The CCGs started working with the local authorities in
November 2015 to develop a process to provide a rapid assessment of the individual
healthcare needs of the identified cases put forward by the Home Office.
The process that we have developed locally commences with the local authorities who notify
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the Home Office once vacant properties have been identified. The Home Office will then
provide ‘cases’ which are made up of up to 6 individuals, usually family members. Case files
are then shared with the local authorities and the CCGs. These case files include a health
assessment that each refugee has undergone in the camp where they are residing in Syria.
A rapid GP assessment (within 5 days of notification) of the capability of the local health
economy to meet the needs of the cases that have been identified is then undertaken. T he
health assessment information provided by the home office is reviewed against the
accommodation identified by the local authority and a recommendation is then made back to
the Local Authority as to whether the health needs of the individuals can be met by the local
health economy and whether the identified property is suitable for the individual given their
physical health requirements.
Case study example 1:
Male who required a heart and lung transplant. His needs could not be met by the local
infrastructure. His care would have had to have been delivered by the major care centres
that would have required extensive travel for the individual and his family members in
providing support for him during his care and rehabilitation. A recommendation was made
that the family should be resettled in a health economy that had the infrastructure to meet his
needs to reduce the need for travelling to receive care and enable his family to support his
care and maintain close contact throughout any hospital stays.
CCG recognised he would have needed long term care and English was not his first
language and he would be reliant upon public transport networks to access care. Therefore,
resettlement in the local health economy was not a suitable solution for him.
Case Study example 2:
Male who was diagnosed with a brain tumour that required urgent surgery. As UHNM is a
recognised neurology centre the local health economy was able to accommodate him.
Once CCG have provided the rapid assessment we then work as part of a multi-disciplinary
team with Refugee Action (national charity) to identify a GP Practice for the SVPs. We do
that by looking for the GP who is in closest proximity to the identified property. The CCG
then communicates with the practice; setting up protocols to share the health assessment
forms and ensuring the practice have access to interpreter services through Language-line.
This ensures that the refugees are registered with a GP promptly after their arrival and
enables them to access all mainstream healthcare services. The CCG also provides
information on 1-1-1 services; how to access emergency care; and we provide information
on 24 hour pharmacies. This means that if health issues occur prior to registration, the
refugees can be supported.
Good Outcomes for people from protected groups - what happened?
Context: (Race / Age / Gender / Disability / Religion or Belief - eg some Muslims and
some Christian refugees)
Some SVPs may have been tortured and some may have experienced abuse. By making
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GPs aware of the health assessments prior to registration it enables the consultation to be
tailored and any specific needs of the individuals can be met. It also enables the GP to
identify a range of health screening, that may be required.
To date 4 families/groups of individuals have been resettled. The resettlement programme
plans to meet their needs locally; getting them linked up with a local GP and integrated into
local main stream healthcare services / all statutory support services eg housing etc.
Evidence of ‘You said. We listened. We did.’
The processes we have put into place are in response to national directive. The Prime
Minister made the pledge that nationally the UK would look to resettle 20,000 vulnerable
Syrians over the life of the current parliament. Local Authorities and the CCGs then agreed
to the numbers of refugees coming to Staffordshire. The County Council commissioned
Refugee Action to support the resettlement programme.
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