±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï is committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in everything we do.
We want to ensure our members and our people are:
- Treated fairly with equality of opportunity and without discrimination.
- Experience a welcoming and inclusive environment that promotes dignity and respect for all.Ìý
- Enabled, encouraged and celebrated to contribution to the profession and our work, to represent the diverse backgrounds that make up our profession.
- Protected against bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination.Ìý
Ìý
±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï aims to:
- Play our part in removing barriers and redressing imbalances caused by inequality and unlawful discrimination.Ìý Ensure decisions concerning our members and our people, including recruitment and appointment, are based on merit (apart from any necessary and limited exemptions and exceptions allowed under the Act).
- Review regularly our policies, procedures and working practices to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in all we do, to assess our impact and to take account of any changes in the law or good practice.
What is EDI?
EDI stands for equality, diversity and inclusion, other similar acronyms include equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
- EqualityÌýmeansÌýensuring that everyone hasÌýthe sameÌýopportunities and is treated withÌýthe same dignityÌýand respect
- Equity means to treat people how THEY want to treated. Equity is the treatment of people according to what they deserve, with an understanding of structural inequalities faced by some people.
- DiversityÌýis about representation andÌývaluing individuals for theÌýdifferentÌýcharacteristics, perspectives, andÌýexperiences they haveÌýto offer.Ìý
There are two types of diversity:
- Demographic e.g. disability, race, sexual orientation
- Cognitive e.g. people who have different ways of thinking, and different skill sets in a team
- InclusionÌýis when a person is valued for their uniqueness, it involves positively striving to meetÌýthe needs of differentÌýpeople and takingÌýdeliberate action toÌýcreate environmentsÌýwhereÌýeveryone feels respected and able toÌýachieve their full potential
- Belonging is feeling secure, supported, accepted, and included
Equality Act 2010 ‘the Act’. This is Legislation that applies in England, Wales and Scotland, but not in Northern Ireland. This protects people from discrimination, harassment or victimisation.
Ìý
Under the Equality Act you are protected from discrimination:
when you are in the workplace
when you use public servicesÌýlike healthcare or education
when you use businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods
when you use transport
when you join a club or association
when you have contact with public bodies like your local council or government departments
Ìý
The Act sets out a number of what are known as ‘protected characteristics.’Ìý
Ìý
Northern Ireland:
–
–
–
Ìý
The equalities act also includes public Sector Equality Duty, whereby public bodies (like local councils, hospitals, and publicly-funded service providers) must consider how their decisions and policies affect people with different protected characteristics. The public body also should have evidence to show how it has done this, so this will be relevant to our profession.
Ìý
The ÌýUNÌýConvention onÌýÌýhas been agreed by the UK to protect and promote the rights of disabled people.
Ìý
Ìý
The equality and human rights commission are Britain’s independent equality and human rights regulator. Their role is in enforcing and upholding the laws that safeguard everyone’s right to fairness, dignity and respect. The commission enforces the Equality Act 2010.
The following characteristics are protected characteristics –
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race and ethnicity
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
Areas of note with regards protected characteristics
- Sex is different from gender, sex is a label assigned at birth based on the reproductive organs a person is born with. There are male and female groups and intersexpeople are born with both male and female reproductive organs. Gender involves how a person identifies and can cover a broad spectrum.
- Ethnicity and race are separate and can sometimes be confused. Ethnicity is linked to cultural expression and identification and is defined as large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origins or backgrounds. This is different from race which is usually associated with biology and linked with physical characteristics such as skin colour or hair texture and is defined as people who share certain distinctive physical traits.
- Disability discrimination must consider ableism, which is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities or those who are perceived to be disabled.
- Religion includes protection against discrimination for those who do not hold a belief, the equality act notes that religious protections must not be incompatible with human dignity and not in conflict with the fundamental rights of others. For example, beliefs around racial superiority or heteronormative superiority are not protected.
Discrimination – The equalities act 2010 protects people from discrimination, there are a number of different kinds of discrimination, please click on the links to learn more about each type of discrimination:
Harassment is unwanted behaviour that a person finds offensive, where the other person’s behaviour is because:
- you have a
- there is any connection with a protected characteristic (for example, you are treated as though you have a particular characteristic, even if the other person knows this isn’t true)
Unwanted behaviour could include:
- spoken or written abuse
- offensive emails
- tweets or comments on websites and social media
- images and graffiti
- physical gestures
- facial expressions
- banter that is offensive to you
You don’t need to have previously objected to it.
The unwanted behaviour must have the purpose or effect of violating your dignity, or creating a degrading, humiliating, hostile, intimidating or offensive environment for you.
To be unlawful, the treatment must have happened in one of the situations that are covered by the Equality Act. For example, in the workplace or when you are receiving goods or services.
For more information see and
Victimisation is treating someone badly because they have done a ‘protected act’, or because an employer, service provider or other organisation believes that a person has done or is going to do a protected act. The reason for the treatment does not need to be linked to a protected characteristic.
A protected act is:
- making a claim or complaint of discrimination (under the Equality Act)
- helping someone else to make a claim by giving evidence or information
- making an allegation that you or someone else has breached the Equality Act
- doing anything else in connection with the Equality Act
See and for more details
Health inequalities
- Healthcare inequities are differences in healthcare that are avoidable, unfair and unjust
- Health disparities are differences in health amongst groups of people
– Article discussing health inequalities and life expectancy
– Kings fund project discussing the seven key priorities to tackle health inequalities
Intersectionality
- Considers how human beings differ and how the intersection of those differences creates unique experiences
- Different forms of oppression overlap, creating unique societal and personal consequences of these intersections.
- Intersectionality can impact on health outcomes
See this you tube video on intersectionality for more information
– Kings fund article discussing lived experience and intersectionality in health care
- Privilege is an advantage that an individual or group of people has.
- Privilege can also be an absence of barriers and obstacles that other individuals or groups of people are faced with.
- The wheel of power / privilege considers three factors:
– Individual
– Interpersonal
– Systemic
Those on the inner hub of the wheel you hold the most power and privilege in society whereas those on the outer hub tend to hold the least power and privilege.
- Reflect on where you are on the wheel?
- Reflect on where most other people you know are on the wheel?
- Reflect on where the people on the inner hub and outer spokes of the wheel appear in society?
– Care experienced children’s and young peoples summary and recommendations report
DISABILITY
Supporting Disabled staff and learners
– Information for Disabled learners on becoming a healthcare professional
– Disability statistics and considerations
– Recruiting and retaining Disabled staff
– Support for staff with hidden disabilities
Health passports
– Health passports for patients
– NHS employers health passports for staff
– Department for Work and Pensions health adjustment passport
– Diversity and ability adjustments passport
Reasonable adjustments
Neurodiversity
By focussing on the communication needs of patients, and in particular those who may have different requirements in terms of communication style, such as patients with mental health conditions, or neurodiversity such as learning difficulties or autism, can impact upon how effectively the patient then engages with the NHS and social support systems.
Simple changes made in clinic can have a great impact on a patient’s experience. Accessible information, that includes simplified language, imagery and symbols can be helpful in aiding communication. Inclusive communication means to recognise and utilise all forms of communication rather than just written and verbal, such as facial expressions, gestures, movements, signs, pictures, and objects.
Images from Icons word 365
Click the link below for various case studies on AHP’s transforming the health, care, and wellbeing of neurodiverse patients:
– Ellie studies English and Drama, and Helen is an Adult Nurse Lecturer, both are neurodivergent and are based at the university of Salford. This article documents their reflections on how being neurodivergent impacts their day-to-day lives and the unique strengths that come along with it.
Hidden disabilities
– Definition of hidden disabilities
– Types of hidden disabilities
– Information on the sunflower lanyard and hidden disabilities
Disabled student allowance
– Information for health learners
– Government information on what DSA is
– Article documenting eligibility and signposts to application for DSA
Access to work
LGBTQ+
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) – ±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï LGBTQ+ pride information
A practical framework for health and care leaders to create inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ staff and patients across six pillars
– National LGBTQ+ experience survey report
– Project considering the intersection between trans people and diabetes diagnosis
RACE AND ETHNICITY
– Clinical Handbook of signs and symptoms in dark skin tones
– Findings and recommendations of the independent review into racial, ethnic and other factors leading to unfair biases in the design and use of medical devices
– Article discussing health inequalities, experiences and outcomes for different ethnic groups
– Scoping review of health care professional confidence of assessing different skin tones
– The NHS Race & Health Observatory strategy 2021– 2024: Driving Race Equity In Health and Care
– Public health England report into adult obesity and type 2 diabetes
– Addressing skin tone bias in wound care
Observational study of ethnic inequalities in hospital admissions in England
±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Response to riots
±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï would like to extend support and solidarity to anyone affected by the current violence that we are seeing reported. ±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï strongly condemns the violent and racist riots and intimidation that have taken place across the country. We value diversity, it is the cornerstone of our profession and of course, the wider NHS and companies that support the profession. During challenging times like these, we need to demonstrate our values of community, inclusion and allyship more than ever. We encourage members to stand together to support any staff, service users or members of the public affected. We understand that current events may create feelings of fear, distress and anxiety, the following collated signposting and support links might be helpful.
provides links for support services offered to NHS colleagues from culture and ethnically diverse backgrounds
connects Black individuals and families with free mental health services by professional Black therapists to support their mental health.
The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network is the UK’s largest independent organisation to specialise in working psychologically, informed by an understanding of intersectionality, with people who identify as Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean.
work with Punjabi communities to improve access to mental health awareness, education, social supports, and research through culturally safe activities to benefit individual and community-level care.
represents students of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean heritage. The network supports issues affecting Black students on a local, national and international level.
is a pioneering charity offering intercultural therapy in over 20 languages to people from diverse cultural communities. Nafsiyat offers short-term intercultural therapy to people from diverse backgrounds who live in Islington, Enfield, Camden and Haringey.
is a Black, Asian and Ethnically diverse led community-based charity. Their diverse staff team deliver culturally appropriate and responsive social care support and talking therapies. All services are designed to support client’s emotional wellbeing and mental health. Nilaari provides community-based mental health care for people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.
Wales is a not-for-profit organisation focused on education and advocacy to inspire mentally healthy ethnically diverse communities by providing support appropriate to their mental health and wellbeing.
Saheliya (Edinburgh and Glasgow) is a specialist mental health and well-being support organisation for black, minority ethnic, asylum seeker, refugee and migrant women and girls (12+) in the Edinburgh and Glasgow area. Their staff are from a variety of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds and they all have an understanding of how race, gender and culture affects the mental well-being of black and minority ethnic women and girls.
If you have any feedback or need any support from ±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï to further support colleagues and communities affected by this, please email : enquiries@bapo.com
- Black history month
- Disability
- Gender roles
- LGBTQ+
- Neurodiversity
- Protected characteristics
- Unconscious bias
- White privilege
±¬ÁÏ³Ô¹Ï is launching some EDI quote cards to raise awareness about the lived experience, barriers and enablers for some members of the P+O community, we want to challenge perceptions and bias and open up the conversation about inclusive environments in P+O.
If you would like to share your experience, please complete the MS form using the button below:
The learner’s welcome pack has been designed for practice educators to edit and share with learners about embarking on practice-based placements. It is a document for practice educators to collate all the relevant information needed for learners for easy reference and can be used as a source of support for learners. The aim is to standardise the way you as the learner receive information about placement and raise awareness of and promote open conversations about the challenges of learning, mental health and wellbeing including stress management, and EDI, including content on reasonable adjustments to contribute towards an inclusive placement experience. If you have not received a copy of this from your practice educator, you could download it and work with your practice educator to make sure you gather all of the essential information required for your placement. This pack is best viewed electronically as there are clickable links and resources throughout.
The placement form provides a tool for capturing key information about you as an individual learner, your approach to learning and your individual learning support needs, including any required reasonable adjustments. The completed form can be shared with your practice educator before your placement commences, to allow suitable preparations to be made to support you to maximise the learning opportunities from your practice- based education.