EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT OF ACTIVITY
2008
July 2008
NHS LOTHIAN
Summarised annual report of progress on Equality and Diversity 2007-08
Introduction
The Equality and Diversity Strategy was completed in June 2007 setting out the proposed actions
required across equality strands. This work complemented and extended the work identified in
Equality Schemes for Race, Disability and Gender and set out the direction of travel to achieve
outcomes up to 2010 across all equality strands.
Progress is reported across the five headings identified in Checking for Change, a building blocks
approach to performance monitor progress against targets. This approach is not yet available
across all equality strands levels but the headings provide a valid structure for reviewing progress.
The purpose of the report is to provide an annual review of progress across the five headings of
energising the organisation and leadership; demographics; access to services and information;
human resources and training and community involvement. It will also help to inform the
development of a Single Equality Scheme in 2009.
Energising the Organisation
The Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development (HR and OD) has delegated
responsibility for the Equality and Diversity agenda. A steering group was formed, chaired by a
Non-Executive Director, Teresa Douglas, to lead, monitor and review progress across equality
strands. Three Lead Managers are identified across NHS Lothian working across equality strands
to progress work both strategically and operationally and have support from leads in Human
Resources and Organisational Development. Progress is reported back to the Healthcare
Governance and Risk Management Committees, Spiritual Care and Staff Governance.
Strong networks of public sector and voluntary sector organisations have been established e.g.
Lothian and Borders Equality Practitioners Group, Edinburgh Equality Forums with joint partners
and links with Public Partnership Forums, Patient Forums/Councils and the Lothian Minority Ethnic
Health Forum. The Joint Health Improvement Plan was consulted on jointly with Edinburgh
Equality Forum representatives and members of the Edinburgh Public Partnership Forums. This
links well with Patient Focus and Public Involvement (PFPI) activities and provides an example of
community involvement both geographic and from communities of interest within NHS
developments.
The implementation of NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) will ensure that within the
next eighteen months 95% of staff will have completed Equality and Diversity training, a core
competence through five e-learning modules which will be extended to seven by the autumn.
There is a requirement to Rapid Impact Assess (RIA/EQIA) any paper going to the Board or CHP
Management groups prior to presentation. A steering group reporting to the Equality and Diversity
Steering Group has been established to quality assure the process across equality strands and
monitor compliance. Following initial assessment of progress, findings demonstrated that further
work was required to achieve this. To complement this RIA, guidance and training have been
developed. In the year 115 staff have attended the training and implementation of the revised
guidance is improving the quality of impact assessments.
1
Priority areas requiring further development:
The Head of Equality and Diversity post reporting to the Director of HR and OD is welcomed and
will strengthen strategic and leadership functions once appointed.
The revised Human Resources Strategy for the period 2008-2012 will provide additional support to
ensure the NHS values and behavioural objectives are met and support the requirements of the
Human Rights Act (1998).
State of preparedness : GREEN
Demographics
NHS Lothian is contributing to national projects on data collection including the second national
retro-coding project. Work on diabetes which had a 98% take up of ethnic coding provides a model
of good practice and reflects the importance of data collection across equality strands. There has
also been improvement in data collection in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Mental Health
services but there are still gaps in progress. A pilot project to improve data collection in primary
care is in development and is linked to a national initiative at Information Services Division.
Areas requiring further development:
Developing systems to increase data collection across all equality strands will be helped by the
introduction of a national DVD in the autumn, developed with the support of NHS Lothian staff.
Effective data collection systems will not only provide an evidence base for current use of services
but will provide evidence to direct future interventions to address inequalities in health. This will be
a key priority for work in 2008-11. A mandatory requirement to develop appropriate systems in
Lothian and responsibility to be placed on all staff to record patient and staff data would be
welcomed.
State of preparedness : RED for patient profiling, AMBER for staff profiling
Access to Services and Information
Equity of access to information and services provided by NHS Lothian is being supported by the
Patient Information Framework to ensure provision of information in different formats to facilitate
public understanding. Much work continues to be achieved in this area. This links to work on the
Patient Experience and Involving People strategy and ensures that patients from communities of
interest have access to feedback mechanisms including comments, suggestions and complaints.
The Minority Ethnic Health Inclusion Service continues to bridge ethnic minority communities in to
services in primary care and mental health. Uptake of interpreting services is increasing annually
and this work is supported by the review of the Interpreting service and development of the
Interpreting and Translation Service (ITS) policy and guidance currently in draft and going out for
consultation.
All NHS Lothian procurement requires evidence of compliance with Equality and Diversity
legislation as third parties and this is also being evidenced in revised Service Level Agreements.
Where contracts are developed nationally NHS National Services Scotland is working on
increasing compliance with requirements for evidence to support practice.
NHS Lothian works to meet the legislative requirements of the Equality Schemes and these are
reported separately and annually.
2
Areas requiring further development
Improvements in data collection and analysis across equality strands will contribute to work on
improving the patient experience of health care. Gaps in information need to be considered in
terms of what needs to be provided nationally and what is required locally in terms of efficiencies.
Further work on improving access to advocacy services across equality strands will be developed
in the Lothian Advocacy Plan which is currently in the consultation stage.
State of preparedness: AMBER / GREEN
Human Resources
NHS Lothian has a range of family friendly policies and will shortly be in a position to monitor the
uptake of these policies across the equality strands. Considerable progress is being made in
awareness training on equality and diversity issues through the development of e-learning modules
and in the Management in Practice development modules. The roll out of KSF core competencies
will make a significant impact on the competence of staff in this area and will link training
requirements to personal development plans.
A project is currently being established to provide mentoring opportunities to minority ethnic staff to
increase opportunities for Black and Minority Ethnic staff at all levels of the organisation. This work
builds on the introduction of Confidential Contacts as part of our Dignity at Work Policy who can
support all staff who may have experienced discrimination or harassment.
Areas requiring further development
A fixed-term appointment within the Human Resource team has been made to assist in improving
the recording of staff data across equality strands and will monitor this to provide information on
and for the workforce. Similarly work will be developed in implementing the Equal Pay Policy as
part of the revised Human Resources strategy. More specialised training is required to increase
the capacity of the training department, front-line staff and team managers to improve the patient
experience where enhanced knowledge is required. A bid for additional funding for this is to be
submitted.
State of preparedness: AMBER / GREEN
Community Development
Community groups and representatives are increasingly involved in NHS Lothian initiatives
supported by the Involving People and Improving Patients Experience Framework and community
engagement standards. These have enabled diverse groups to be involved in strategy
development and service reviews as well as membership of forums and consultations.
Opportunities are well established for joint work with other local partner agencies on shared issues.
Best practice is shared with partners in the Lothian and Borders Equality Practitioners Group and
NHS Health Scotland’s Equalities and Planning Directorate’s Lead Network. Examples also exist
of good practice in local areas between voluntary sector and public sector partners and members
of local communities.
Areas requiring further development
Building closer links with Joint Equality Forums, Public Partnership Forums and Patients
Forums/Councils will enable increased involvement and reflect the views of our diverse
population. A current example is the joint consultation on the Joint Health Improvement Plan in
Edinburgh’s CHP.
State of preparedness: GREEN
3
Conclusion
Steady progress is being maintained across all areas of practice complemented by the uptake of
training on equality and diversity issues linked to induction training, NHS Knowledge and Skills
Framework (KSF) competencies and the implementation of Rapid Impact Assessment / Equality
Impact Assessment (RIA/EQIA). Further practical skills training, rather than awareness training,
for key groups and trainers is essential to increase the capacity of the organisation to improve the
patients’ experience.
A key priority is to improve systems for data recording and analysis across patient and staff
information to provide a baseline to measure progress against and identify inequalities in health
outcomes and employment experience. This is essential to support current developments to
improve the patient experience and ensure equality in employment.
The strategy would be complemented by a Single Equality Scheme drawing together the general
and specific duties related to race, gender and disability with the additional duties anticipated under
the Equalities Bill.
Areas of inequality not covered by the six equality strands are being addressed in impact
assessments. This helps to ensure that all population groups are considered in terms of positive
and negative impacts on equality in all aspects of NHS Lothian’s performance.
Further work is needed in identifying SMART outcomes which reflect national performance targets
including HEAT, and Single Outcome Agreements.
The areas requiring further development as outlined and the need to focus work on achieving the
national performance measures are key milestones towards ensuring equity of access to health
and employment. This will help to set the agenda for 2008-11 to improve the health and well being
of our diverse population in Lothian.
NHS Lothian as a service provider, contractor and employer has a civic duty to tackle
discrimination and harassment, promote equality of opportunity and good relations in Lothian.
Through all areas of its direct and partnership working it is aiming to become an exemplar
employer and service provider.
A Traffic Light system has been used to assess NHS Lothian’s preparedness to address equality
and diversity issues.
RED signifies priority issue to be addressed, AMBER that work is in progress but has some way to
go and GREEN that work is either in progress or ready to start.
4
12.1
Energising the Organisation
In this section NHS Lothian has described the actions needed to change organisational culture and make it more conducive to realising equality
and diversity outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
KEY ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVE
As a Board, seek to lead
the equality and diversity
agenda both within NHS
Lothian and in the wider
community
Position NHS Lothian as a leader and influencer of
good practice in relation to equality and diversity.
NHS managers at all
levels
within
the
organisation
need
to
promote equality and
diversity in their day to
day work within their area
of responsibility.
TIME SCALE
PROGRESS
Ongoing
Steering group established
with agreed action plan.
Actively seek out, at all levels of the organisation,
opportunities to develop partnerships with a broad
range of other organisations and groups who share our
aim to outlaw discrimination.
Ongoing
All Executive Directors and Senior Managers receive
training on equality and diversity.
2007
Delivery and progress against the equality and
diversity agenda incorporated into all senior managers’
individual performance objectives.
2008-9
Strong networks of public and
voluntary sector e.g. joint
work through Lothian and
Borders Equality Practitioners
Group, local joint equality
networks
and
Public
Partnership Forums, Patient
Forums/Councils
with
evidence of involvement.
All Exec and Non-Exec
Directors completed training.
Equality and Diversity KSF
core competencies for all staff
focuses on developing a
culture which supports and
promotes equality and values
diversity in NHS L.
Progress on Checking for
Change available for Race
Equality.
Performance needs to be measured against agreed
actions through the Checking for Change performance
indicators.
5
NAMED
PERSON
Director of
HR and OD
Ongoing
To ensure that all
services, new and
revised policies and
functions take account of
the six equality and
diversity strands and the
needs of marginalised
communities.
All new or revised Board, Community Health (Care)
Partnerships (CH(C)P) and Divisional policies are
assessed for relevance and if required are Equality
Impact Assessed (EQIA) prior to agreement.
Establish a structured
approach to address the
equality and diversity
agenda,
ensuring
all
activity is co-ordinated at
a senior level.
Ensure each strand of the diversity agenda has a
Director lead and lead managers to lead, monitor and
report on progress with all strands of diversity.
Ensure continued relevant community involvement in
developing plans and services through Equality and
Diversity and Patient Focus Public Involvement leads.
Develop and implement a costed action plan to support
priorities as required.
Implement Checking for
Change to monitor each
of the equality and
diversity
strands,
to
ensure progress is being
made in integrating the
agenda into our service
delivery.
Functions and policies deemed priorities will be
reviewed and updated during the period and be
monitored after six months for unanticipated adverse
impacts.
Strategic
Programme
Managers
and Lead
Equality
Managers
Director of
HR and OD
2007-8
(ongoing
12 months
(ongoing)
12 months
12 months
(ongoing)
Review all objectives to improve performance and link
with HEAT, SCS and Better Health, Better Care, PAF.
12 months
Establish an equality scheme for each of the strands
as required by legislation or an annual action plan,
detailing specific actions to be undertaken.
Produce quarterly update reports for the Equality and
Diversity Steering Group and other local equality and
health forums as required.
Report annually on progress to the NHS Lothian
Board, other equality and health forums and statutory
bodies.
Build an evidence base to demonstrate change in
service provision and employment.
Monitor performance across the equality and diversity
2007
6
Equality Impact Assessment
steering group will quality
assure
RIAs/EQIAs
and
report annually.
12 months
(ongoing)
3 – 5 years
Ongoing
Ongoing
Executive Director appointed
with overall lead and Head of
Equality And Diversity post
funded from mid 2008.
Systems
in
place
and
evidence
of
outcomes
reported
through
Clinical
Governance
and
Risk
Management
Committees
and Staff Governance.
Priority for Steering group,
with work to be progressed to
identify SMART outcomes
Completed -E and D strategy
and all Schemes have action
plans.
Quarterly progress reporting
agreed May 2008
Annual reports will have been
completed by June 2008
(see demographics 3.2)
awaiting national agreement
on data collection across of
all strands. Checking for
strands through Checking for Change.
Monitor patient experience in the appropriateness of
communications.
Propose moving to a multi equality scheme and joint
action plan.
7
R Walters/S
Sinclair/Jim
Robinson
Change will be developed in
partnership with the Equalities
and Planning Directorate,
NHS Health Scotland.
Audit complaints and patient
surveys.
12.2
Demographics
In this section NHS Lothian has described the actions needed to progress equality and diversity monitoring.
OBJECTIVE
KEY ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVE
NAMED
PERSON
Establish baseline data of the service user Director of
population for each strand of diversity.
Clinical
Information
Monitor and report changes in population and
service user profile.
Use data to identify gaps
in uptake of services in
priority health areas and
for equality and diversity
monitoring to ensure
health
needs
are
integrated
into
the Monitor uptake of health services across strands,
planning of local services. identify gaps and recommend appropriate action
and outcomes
Develop patient profiling
work across all strands of
diversity.
TIME SCALE
PROGRESS
12 months –
3 years
Propose make mandatory
requirement to collect
data
across
equality
strands*.
Need to improve access
to data on local profiles
Need
to
implement
improved systems for
data gathering across
strands as priority
Roll out in progress but
not yet in all areas.
Ongoing
12 months –
3 years
Roll out the new electronic patient record system
(Trakhealth) across NHS Lothian.
12 months –
3 years
Undertake
further development
work
with
Trakhealth to allow information on all strands of
diversity to be easily accessed and crossreferenced in order to audit the uptake of services
by diversity groups.
3 – 5 years
* Progress dependent on
mandatory requirement
12 months –
3 years
Training DVD developed
with other NHS Boards
and Equality and
Planning Directorate.
Supporting training
manual in development.
Ensure data in health records and referrals is
inputted into Trakhealth fields
Provide training and development opportunities for
all relevant staff to support this work.
8
12.3
Access and Service Delivery
In this section NHS Lothian has outlined activity that will be undertaken to mainstream equality and diversity and improve patient experience and
confidence.
OBJECTIVE
KEY ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVE
To provide equity of
public
access
to
information and services
provided by NHS Lothian.
Finalise NHS Lothian Communications Strategy
and implementation plan.
Implement inclusive communication requirements
in all relevant policies across NHS Lothian.
Provide guidance to establish standards for the
provision of information, posters and sign-posting to
health facilities.
Continue to work with NHS Health Scotland to
develop a national programme of health information
materials.
Signpost staff and service users to accessible
evidence based resources.
Ensure the provision of appropriate leaflets and
information in a range of formats.
Identify gaps in provision and develop materials at
a Lothian level where necessary.
Develop an implementation plan for the
harmonising of our existing patient information
systems.
9
NAMED
PERSON
Director of
Public
Health and
Health
Policy,
Director of
Nursing,
Director of
Communic
ations
TIME SCALE
PROGRESS
Mar 09
and
ongoing
Strategy
out
for
consultation Mar 08
Considered as part of
EQIA. NHS L promotes
information and uses
images which reflect the
diversity of the local
population.
Work in progress on
Inclusive Communication
and
Information
Framework through new
Directorate partnership.
Hospital
leaflets,
information
on
complaints, advocacy and
carer
information
all
nearing completion.
In progress, evaluation of
SMILE.
Extended hours for GP
practices are currently
being
considered
to
increase accessibility.
To ensure all NHS
Lothian facilities reflect
and meet the needs of
the diversity in the local
population.
All NHS Lothian Patient
Focus, Public
Involvement (PFPI)
activity meets the needs
of our diverse population
Ensure that all facilities meet the obligations under
legislation in relation to equality and diversity
including race, disability and gender, wider Fair for
All strands and other disadvantaged groups
Ensure all patient feedback mechanisms are
accessible to all and promoted throughout our
diverse communities.
Implement and monitor the Involvement of Patients
and Improving the Patients’ Experience Framework
activity
including
feedback,
complaints,
engagement processes, advocacy and volunteering
to ensure diverse representation.
Ensure information from our PFPI mechanisms
influence the planning, design and delivery of
health promotion and healthcare.
Ensure issues relating to diversity and equality are
addressed in all quality improvement programmes
and in the clinical governance agenda.
10
March 09
Director of
Nursing
RES, DES and GES in
place underpinned by the
Equality and Diversity
action plans which will be
harmonised by Dec 09.
March 09 and Monitored through PFPI.
ongoing
Scottish Patient
Experience Programme
to be implemented.
Involving People
Framework is in progress
and nearing completion
as are the volunteering,
advocacy and carers
information strategies.
The Quality Improvement
Teams established
across NHS Lothian
provide a systematic
approach to quality
improvement. Better
Health, Better Care
Action Plan will provide a
further focus on
measurable outcomes
and will be enhanced by
improvements in data
collection across equality
strands. The Patients Bill
of Rights will provide
future direction.
Ensure that public and
staff have access to
interpreters and
translated information
Establish clear unified system for provision of ITS
(Interpreting and Translation Service) support.
Ensure public and staff are aware of the need for
and availability of ITS
Establish a system for monitoring, across all the
relevant strands of diversity, existing use and
unmet need for interpreting and translation for
health and healthcare issues.
Work to the national code of good practice,
information and training on working with an
interpreter and in providing translated information
currently in development.
Increased awareness of
the equality and diversity
agenda amongst all
service providers
including those
contracted to provide
services to NHS Lothian
All procurement and service contracts with NHS
Lothian to include within the agreement the
requirement to provide evidence of non
discriminatory practices within employment and
service provision.
Monitor all existing contracts to ensure compliance
with the relevant legislation associated with equality
and diversity and ensure appropriate feedback is
received on a regular basis.
11
March 09
Director of
Strategic
Planning,
Head of
Procurement
NHS Lothian Policy and
Procedure for Interpreting
and Translation –
Annual review meeting the needs of
people with limited
English proficiency is out
for consultation. Regular
reporting from ITS service
is in place - meetings
held between ITS and
12 months
NHS Lothian regarding
the service level
agreement, monitoring
processes and quality
control. Information and
training on working with
interpreters is in
development
12 months – NHS Lothian Service
3 years
Level Agreement (SLA)
for non-clinical services
require evidence of
compliance with antiOngoing
discriminatory legislation
to be submitted prior to
sign off. Section 10 of
the SLA focuses on nondiscrimination and states
that the Board will
request evidence and
information on equality
groups. The mapping of
SLAs is occurring within
NHS L and will
compliment the current
work in local authorities.
12
12.4
Human Resources
In this section NHS Lothian has described activity designed to improve workforce representation from the different diversity groups and increase
knowledge of the issues among the staff of NHS Lothian.
OBJECTIVE
Fulfil the Employment
Duties set out in equality
and diversity legislation.
KEY ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVE
Prepare Human Resources components of Equality
Schemes as required.
Review employment policies, procedures and
practices for compliance with legislation.
Audit operational implementation of NHS Lothian
policies to ensure general compliance.
Support employment and improve representation of
employees from diverse groups such as disabled
people, ethnic minority groups and the older
generation.
NAMED
PERSON
Director of
HR and
OD
TIME
SCALE
2007
12 months
12 months
(ongoing)
13
PROGRESS
The Human Resources
components of the Equality
Schemes and the Equal Pay
Statement have been
prepared as required.
Employment policies are
reviewed on an ongoing
basis by the HR Policy
Group and Lothian
Partnership Forum
The Equal Opportunities and
Race Equality Policies have
been in place since 2006
and are linked with the
Dignity at Work policy which
established a network of
confidential contacts to
support staff who feel they
are subject to bullying,
harassment or
discrimination. Grievance,
disciplinary issues and
Dignity at Work
investigations are monitored
monthly by HR Employee
Relations Managers and
reported quarterly in
Workforce reports.
Incidents related to
2008-11
To have an appropriately
trained and skilled
workforce in equality and
diversity issues.
Develop and implement training programmes for
Executive and Managerial staff and those involved
in service planning in equalities awareness, impact
assessment and mainstreaming equality and
diversity issues.
Ensure induction training includes equality and
diversity issues, covering all six equality strands.
Review mandatory and other training programmes
for frontline staff to ensure they include equalities
awareness and appropriate workplace behaviours.
Monitor attendance at equality and diversity training
sessions and take any necessary action to
maximise uptake.
Link training requirements to Personal Development
Plans.
Work with communities of interest to monitor quality
of training.
14
12 months
12 months
ongoing
discrimination or
harassment are identified
through this channel. The
HR strategy and action plan
is being revised to take
account of changes in
legislation and practice.
Executive and Non
Executive Directors have
received training in equality
and diversity issues and
their responsibilities as
Board members.
Awareness training is
currently provided at
corporate induction through
5 e-learning modules:
Equality and Diversity
overview, learning
disabilities, Disability
Equality, Sexual
Orientation/Lesbian Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
(LGBT) issues and age
discrimination. The new 18month mandatory training
programme includes the elearning modules. This is
currently applicable to
clinical staff. Equality and
Diversity awareness
workshops are provided
year round. Training for
Equality and Diversity and
Equal Opportunities is part
of the Management in
Monitor the profile of the
NHS Lothian workforce in
line with legislative
requirements and
consider any action
required to address
inequalities and promote
equality.
Continue to participate in the SWISS (Scottish
Workforce Information System) Equality project and
encourage staff to complete the Equality
Questionnaire so as to improve the diversity
database of staff.
Explore different ways of capturing this information
including an intranet based site.
Produce and publish regular analyses of the
workforce in terms of age, disability, ethnicity and
gender. Add other equality strands as relevant
information becomes available.
Utilise the rollout of the standardised HR information
system to implement robust reporting on relevant
aspects of recruitment, development and retention
of staff.
Identify any areas of apparent inequality and
recommend appropriate action.
Ongoing
12 months
– 3 years
Mar 09
ongoing
15
Practice modular training
programme. Rapid Impact
Assessment is run monthly.
Attendance at Training can
be monitored through the
Empower HR system.
£5,287 completed core
induction training on
equalities in the year.
Quarterly Workforce Reports
now include data required
under the Race Equality
Scheme. Items raised by
the Commission for Race
Equality in 2007 have been
addressed.
Workforce profiles required
under the Disability and
Gender Equality Schemes
are currently in
development. A project
officer has been appointed
for a six-month period to
support the improvement of
workforce monitoring and to
increase staff disclosure of
equality and diversity
information. The NHS
Scotland SWISS project has
a national database holding
information on the whole
NHS workforce. NHS
Lothian provides data for
this and has access to local
reports.
12.5
Community Development
In this section NHS Lothian has outlined the activities required in relation to consulting with communities and capacity building activity.
OBJECTIVE
KEY ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVE
Community groups and
individuals are able to
express views and needs
across all the diversity
areas.
Identify and use the existing representative
forums, and where necessary establish and
support additional forums to ensure the views of
our diverse community are listened to.
Establish a range of mechanisms for individuals to
present their views on issues related to diversity.
Work with our local partner
agencies to share best
practice on equality and
diversity issues and learn
with other organisations.
Build on the work to date with our partner agencies
for addressing the equality and diversity agenda.
Involvement of our diverse
groups in the planning
processes.
NHS Lothian planning mechanisms to be reviewed
to ensure inclusion from all the relevant diversity
groups. Ensure people from the diversity groups
are engaged in the Patient Focus, Public
Involvement activity.
Provide support to engage people in development
of strategies and policies in partnership with local
authorities, Lothian and Borders Police and the
voluntary sector.
Involve representatives from equalities groups in
scrutinising plans.
NAMED
PERSON
Division
and CHP
General
Managers
and
Equality
Leads
TIME
SCALE
Ongoing
12 months –
3 years
Ongoing
Ensure continued representation on the Lothian
and Borders Equality Practitioners Group.
16
Ongoing
12 months –
3 years
PROGRESS
Wide range of opportunities
available e.g. Lothian Minority
Ethnic Health Forum, joint strand
specific Forums with public
sector
partners,
Public
Involvement Workers, Public
Partnership Forums, patient
forums. Individual consultations
aim to involve wide range of
users across strands.
Lothian and Borders Equality
Practitioners
group
meets
quarterly to share good practice
and has recently formalised a
link with Scottish Government’s
Equality Unit.
Representatives from joint
equality forums participate in
health issues and
representatives of voluntary
sector agencies.
Examples include the Physical
Disabilities and Complex Needs
strategy and the strategy for
Long Term Conditions.