Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As a commissioner of health services, an employer and the statutory NHS body responsible for the Integrated Care Partnership, NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is committed to:

Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act
Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
Fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not

In this section, you will information about:

The ICB’s approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality and Health Inequality Impact and Risk Assessments (EHIIRAs) and how they are used
NHS mandated standards relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
How the ICB reports on EDI-related progress

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire is committed to ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion is a priority when planning and commissioning healthcare services for our population.

We take great care to ensure that our services are appropriate, equitable and accessible for all members of our population, and that nobody is disadvantaged or discriminated against in the provision of our services.

To achieve this aim, the ICB must demonstrate that they have considered the impacts that policies, services and practice have on our patient population and our workforce – particularly those people with protected characteristics or those from vulnerable groups.

The characteristics protected by the Equality Act (2010) are:

Age
Disability
Sex
Gender reassignment
Sexual orientation
Race
Religion and/or belief
Pregnancy and maternity
Marriage and civil partnership

We also consider other vulnerable groups such as carers, military veterans, asylum seekers, refugees, and people from deprived areas, as well as groups that experience significant health inequalities such as those identified by the national Core20PLUS5 programme.