Public Authority Statutory Equality, Good Relations and Disability … 1 and 2 BSO Annual... ·...

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Public Authority Statutory Equality, Good Relations and Disability Duties - Annual Progress Report 2018-19

Contact:

Section 75 of the NI Act 1998 and Equality Scheme Name: Karen Bailey

Telephone: 028 9536 3948

Email: [email protected]

Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Disability Action Plan

As above

Documents published relating to our Equality Scheme can be found at: http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/about/CorporateInformation.htm and http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/services/1788.htm

(ECNI Q28): Our Equality Scheme is due to be reviewed by April 2021.

http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/about/CorporateInformation.htm

http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/services/1788.htm

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Signature:

This report has been prepared adapting a template circulated by the Equality Commission. It presents our progress in fulfilling our statutory equality, good relations and disability duties. This report reflects progress made between April 2018 and March 2019.

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Contents

Chapter Page

1. Summary Quantitative Report 4

2. Section 75 Progress Report 7

Appendix to Section 75 Progress Report – Further Explanatory Notes (ECNI Q10,13,14,20) 37

3. Equality Action Plan Progress Report (ECNI Q2) 38

4. Disability Action Plan Progress Report 46 5. Equality and Human Rights Screening Report

(ECNI Q18) 60

6. Mitigation Report (ECNI Q1,3,3a,3b) 65

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Chapter 1: Summary Quantitative Report

(ECNI Q15,16,19) Screening, EQIAs and Consultation

1. Number of policies screened (as recorded in screening reports). (see also Chapter 6)

Screened in 0

Screened out with mitigation 10

Screened out without mitigation 0

Screening decision reviewed following concerns raised by consultees No concerns raised

2. Number of policies subjected to Equality Impact Assessment.

0

3. Indicate the stage of progress of each EQIA.

Not applicable.

4. Number of policy consultations conducted

0

5. Number of policy consultations conducted with screening presented. (See also Chapter 2, Table 2)

0

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(ECNI Q24) Training

6. Staff training undertaken during 2018-19. (See also Chapter 2, Q6)

Course No. of Staff Trained No. of Board Members Trained Introduction to Equality and Human Rights 121

Screening Training 4

Equality Impact Assessment Training 1 NISRA training 6

Equality Awareness Training 10 Good relations (Cultural Awareness Training) 13

Disability Placement Scheme Training 7

Total 162 0

eLearning: Discovering Diversity

No. of Staff Trained

Module 1 to 4 – Diversity 25

Module 5 – Disability 20 Module 6 – Cultural Competencies 19

eLearning: Making a Difference

No. of Staff Trained

Part 1 – All Staff 194 Part 2 – Line Managers 193

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(ECNI Q27) Complaints

7. Number of complaints in relation to the Equality Scheme received during 2018-19

Please provide detail of any complaints:

(ECNI Q7) Equality Action Plan (see also Chapter 3)

8. Within the 2018-19 reporting period, please indicate the number of:

Actions completed:

2 Actions ongoing:

4 Actions to commence:

0

(ECNI Part B Q1) Disability Action Plan (see also Chapter 4)

9. Within the 2018-19 reporting period, please indicate the number of:

Actions completed:

7 Actions ongoing:

3 Actions to commence:

2

0

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Chapter 2: Section 75 Progress Report

(ECNI Q1,3,3a,3b,23)

1. In 2018-19, please provide examples of key policy/service delivery developments made by the public authority in this reporting period to better promote equality of opportunity and good relations; and the outcomes and improvements achieved. Please relate these to the implementation of your statutory equality and good relations duties and Equality Scheme where appropriate.

Table 1 below outlines examples of progress in the last year to better promote equality of opportunity and good

relations1. Work conducted by the BSO can be grouped into three main themes: facilitating improvements in access to HSC

services; supporting the development of new tailored services, and new staff policies and developments.

The majority of the actions reported in the table below underpin improvements in access to HSC services for Section 75 groupings. For example, Information Technology Services (ITS) work will enable other HSC service providers to improve transgender individuals’ access to specific clinical services under their affirmed gender identity; and the work undertaken by the Regional Interpreting Service for different ethnic minorities (and specific genders within these) will facilitate individuals’ access to HSC services.

1 This includes as a result of

screening / Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs)

monitoring

staff training

engagement and consultation

improvements in access to information and services

implementation of Equality and Disability Action Plans.

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There are also examples of supporting the development of new tailored services designed to meet particular needs of

different Section 75 groups, such as the ongoing work to develop an appliance home delivery service by PALS to improve

services for the elderly, as well as specific projects supported by the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) such as work

to improve detection of schizophrenia in young people, and Home Medication Management for the Elderly to Support

Domiciliary Care Services.

A number of actions can be grouped under the theme new staff policies and developments. Examples of this include work

undertaken by the Pensions Team, who developed a new form for staff who are in a relationship that is not legally

recognised where they can nominate their surviving partner for partner’s benefits. Other developments include the new

‘Mx’ salutation, which was added to the list of titles for those creating portfolios on the CEC website for non-binary

people, as well as those who do not wish to reveal or be referred to by their gender.

In most cases, it is not possible to ascribe developments to one single factor of Equality Scheme implementation. New

initiatives, such as those described above, are not necessarily an outcome of any equality screenings or Equality Impacts

Assessments. As mainstreaming progresses and the promotion of equality becomes part of the organisational culture and

way of working, the more difficult it becomes to ascribe activities and outcomes to the application of a specific element of

Equality Scheme implementation. From this point of view, staff training and engagement and consultation are arguably

the most important factors. Different teams within BSO have also sought training on specific issues (e.g. PaLS Dementia

Training), or have developed training needs analysis and training plans for forthcoming year (CEC). Moreover, one notable

theme emerging from this year’s return are the informal measures that are independently organised by staff in each of the

teams, particularly with regards to fundraising and awareness raising initiates for different advocacy organisations.

Throughout 2018-19, much of the focus has been in either implementing general equality awareness training, or more

specialised training, teaching staff how to screen or carry out Equality Impact Assessments on forthcoming policies and

programmes.

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Changes resulting directly from equality screenings are reported in Chapter 6, the mitigation report. Those due to the

implementation of Equality and Disability Action Plans are reported in Chapters 3 and 4.

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Table 1: New developments or changes and impact of these for the nine equality categories

Outline new developments or changes in policies, practices, service planning or delivery and the

difference they have made for specific equality groupings.

Persons of

different

religious

belief

Equality Unit

Alongside the BSO Procurement and Logistics Service, we took action to proactively promote equality of

opportunity with regards to our contracts with recruitment agencies. Together with our HSC partners,

we included in the most recent tender specific requirements for bidders to demonstrate how they

promote equality with reference to: training their staff; gathering feedback from agency workers; their

provisions on making reasonable adjustments for agency workers; and outreach work to attract a

diverse range of agency workers. Collection of this monitoring data for all nine equality groupings was

audited in 2019. This will enable us in future to monitor the diversity of agency workers placed with us

and, where necessary, to engage with recruitment agencies in relation to measures to address under-

representation and the user experience of specific equality groupings.

Similarly, we used equality monitoring forms for people who participate in our Disability Placement

Scheme, capturing all nine equality groupings. This will enable us to see how diverse the group of

people being placed with us are and where necessary work with the provider to take further outreach

measures.

Persons of

different

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political

opinion

Persons of

different

racial groups

Clinical Education Centre

The new CEC website launched in April 2018 and includes a translation facility for 27 additional

languages.

HSC Regional Interpreting Service (RIS)

RIS registered 17 new Interpreters in October 2018 to meet service demand (7 Arabic; 1 Albanian; 2

Romanian; 1 Farsi; 4 Bulgarian; 1 Slovak; and, 1 Somali.

Arrival of the Syrian Refugee Groups to Northern Ireland under the Vulnerable Person Resettlement

(VPR) programme has led to significant increase in requests for Arabic Interpreters. Arabic was the

2nd most requested language during 2018/19. As a result, RIS registered 19 new Arabic Interpreters in

February 2019 to meet demand for Arabic Language.

Members of RIS also attended Cultural Awareness Training, which was provided by South Belfast

Roundtable. This training highlighted some of the issues and difficulties faced by migrants and asylum

seekers arriving in Northern Ireland.

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Office for Research Ethics (OREC)

This year OREC developed information sheets and consent forms for close relatives/close friends of adults

who were taking part in research, but lacked capacity to do so. These described their involvement in

research, and to obtain consent from the adult lacking capacity should s/he regain capacity. OREC

highlighted the need to have all documentation translated into the close relatives’/close friends’ and/or

the research participant’s first language.

Persons of

different age


RCN Congress, Tea Dance Fringe Event: As part of the RCN’s Older People’s Nursing Network (OPeNN),

two of the Clinical Education Centre’s Nurse Education Consultants were involved in hosting a Fringe

Event as part of the RCN Congress. The event was billed as a ‘Tea Dance’, and used music, movement

and visual props to establish a safe place for communication and connection without the use of words.

This is a useful tool for those working with, for example, people with dementia, where words can create

barriers that isolate the person. Verbal communication was suspended as people tapped into

memories, stimulated by music, movement and visual props. Delegates were enthusiastic about the

event, and how they might be able to use the ideas in their clinical practice.

The HSC Clinical Education Centre celebrated World Breastfeeding week from 1st to the 7th August

2018. Nurse consultants from the CEC set up an information stand with relevant promotional materials.

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Persons of

different age

cont.

This is part of a global action in which more than 170 countries participate to encourage breastfeeding,

raise public awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around

the world.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

2018-19 saw the introduction of the web based Patient Portal application (My Care Record) to provide

patients and their nominated representatives with access to a subset of their health record. The project is

designed to be a 3 phased release initially to patients living with a dementia related diagnosis, but will be

expanded to include other cohorts of patients. We are currently in Phase 1 which had a target of recruiting

15 families across the region. Clinical staff will continue to use the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record

(NIECR) with an additional Patient Portal tab.

Procurement and Logistics

PaLS have been engaged in an ongoing dialogue with Southern Health and Social Care Trust to enable

individuals living in this Trust area to avail of an appliance home delivery service, as is the case in the

other four HSC Trusts. In transitioning to this service, individuals would no longer be required to travel to a

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Persons of

different age

cont.

central location and transport their appliances home. This would have particular benefits for elderly

service users and those with disabilities as PaLS would deliver the equipment needed directly to their

homes.

Recruitment and Selection Service

During 2018/19 the HSC collaborated with the HSC Trusts in developing and organising a number of

Careers events, primarily aimed at school aged children and those in tertiary education. One of these was

the ‘Skills NI’ event held in November 2018. All 178 post primary schools listed on the EA website were

invited to the event. In total, 73 schools attended and 4 tertiary education institutions also attended,

resulting in 6802 visitors. Attendees ranged in age from 14-21 years. Evaluation showed positive feedback

from the majority of those attending: before attending the event 57% of students felt unsure about their

future, but after the event 92% said they felt excited, confident or clearer about their future career path.

Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)

Project DETECT: Project ‘DETECT’ is for Detecting Emerging Traits of psychosis in Educational

and Community Cohorts. DETECT will develop technology enabled solutions to address early

identification of and intervention for the prodromal or pre-psychotic phase of schizophrenia in young

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Persons of

different age

cont.

people. The project works on that earlier detection, and subsequent intervention will ultimately lead to

better outcomes for younger patients. Phase 1 of the project started in September 2018 with two

suppliers appointed.

Project HOME: Home Medication Management for the Elderly to Support Domiciliary Care Services.

Led by SBRI, and working alongside the HSC Trusts, HOME aims to address the daily challenges

associated with the management of medication in the domiciliary care setting. The competition sought

technology solutions to benefit domiciliary care users and providers, help adherence, safer working

practice, and management of demand in the system. Two suppliers are currently in Phase 2 which

involves a feasibility trial ending in early 2019.

Persons with

different

marital

status

Pensions

Partner pensions are now available to long term partners without the requirement to nominate providing

they meet certain criteria. However, to help to lessen distress at a difficult time for partners, a form has

been developed for staff who are in a relationship that is not legally recognised where they can

nominate their surviving partner for partner’s benefits. This is available for download and completion from

the HSC Pension Service Website. Information materials have also been developed, and highlighted in

quarterly staff newsletters.

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Persons with

different

marital

status cont.

HSC Recruitment and Selection

During 2018-19, research / concept testing of our new Branding Concepts to drive forward our Attraction

Strategy was undertaken. This work explored public views on proposed branding concepts which might be

used in future advertisements to attract applicants to the HSC. A series of focus groups were organised

with individuals who had no current knowledge of or engagement with the HSC, with a specific focus on

people of different marital status who were either seeking work or would be seeking work in the near

future. Two focus groups were held with Single people in Belfast and South Eastern Trusts, while seven

were held with people who were married or living with a partner. Research findings will be presented to

Senior HSC Managers and DoH representatives to agree the final branding concept to be used.

Persons of

different

sexual

orientation

Human Resources

The regional Bullying and Harassment policy was developed by HR and colleagues from other regional

HSC organisations and HSC trusts. In order to give LGB people more confidence in reporting incidences of

conflict, bullying and harassment, sexual orientation is clearly defined in the policy as a protected Equality

Group in the definition of Harassment. Moreover, the policy states that Line managers have a specific

responsibility in the prevention and resolution of conflict, bullying and harassment.

Persons of

different Clinical Education Centre

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genders and

gender

identities

The Mx salutation was added to the list of titles for those creating portfolios on the CEC website for non-

binary people, as well as those who do not wish to reveal or be referred to by their gender.

Payroll

In the last year, following on from the introduction of the BSO Gender Identity Employment Policy, we

provided a nominated contact within Payroll to support transgender/non-binary staff. Having a single

point of contact aims to improve confidentiality and instil confidence in staff affected by the policy who

may have queries in relation to Payroll and/ or HMRC issues.

HSC Regional Interpreting Service

There was an increase in the numbers of female Arabic interpreters (19) registered in 2018-19. This

reflected an increased demand for female interpreters due to the need for gender-specific services within

different cultures and ethnic groups, or due to the nature or topic for which interpreting services were

required.

Equality Unit

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Persons of

different

genders and

gender

identities

cont.

Gender Identity Employment Policy: The regional Task & Finish group has met a number of times over the

last year. All HSC organisations are represented by senior staff from HR and Equality. Work this year

focused on developing checklists for line managers and HR staff focusing on key aspects of the transition

including the handling of information records in relation to transgender and non-binary staff. Work has

also included an assessment of the awareness and training needs of staff.

Human resources

Work is being done to investigate disparities between the rates of pay received by male and female

staff. This will involve a pay audit looking the differences between female and male pay for similar

employment. This work will also look at differences in pay according to the racial or ethnic group of

employees, and look at pay gaps between staff with a disability and those without. Whilst this is

legislative in the rest of the UK it is not legally required in NI as there is no Assembly in NI at present to

pass the legislation.

Also, this year a proposal has been submitted to provide training and awareness raising for staff and line

managers on some of the issues faced by women who are undergoing the menopause.

An Equality, Inclusion and Diversity policy has been developed this year by HR alongside the other HSC

organisations and the HSC Trusts. One element of this policy is to provide guidance and advice to staff

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and managers on the recruitment and retention of transgender and non-binary staff. Although this is

still going through a consultation process with other HR colleagues, the policy will apply to all staff and

covers recruitment, promotion, training, transfer, and other benefits and facilities including conduct at

work related events.

Persons with

and without

a disability

Persons with

and without


The new CEC website has a facility to allow individuals to change the size of font to assist individuals

with a visual impairment.

An integrated Hearing Loop System has been installed on two of the four CEC sites. The remaining two

sites have acquired mobile loop devices.

The Leadership Centre

The HSC Leadership Centre hosted a representative from the Friends of Cancer Centre in February 2019.

This also involved a presentation of money raised from a coffee morning where Leadership staff baked or

bought pastries, and the proceeds from a Christmas raffle.

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a disability

cont.

Persons with

and without

a disability

Office for Research Ethics (OREC)

This year OREC developed proposals to ensure research guidance and consent information should be

produced in large font and Easy Read format for those with cognitive disabilities or visual impairments.

Procurement and Logistics Service

PaLS Community Equipment Service (CES) staff at Lissue undertook Dementia Awareness training.

Around 15 CES staff participated in a Virtual Dementia Tour Bus, which is funded by the South Eastern

Health and Social Care Trust. The Dementia Bus /Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT) gave staff an experience

of what dementia might be like by using specialist equipment and creating a simulated environment.

During the tour, PaLS staff had to carry out a number of simple tasks to understand the challenges

faced by people living with dementia. Staff felt that their understanding of dementia improved, and

that this experience will help them to continue to deliver the best possible, patient-centred care.

In the last year, PaLS actively participated in the regional HSC Disability Placement Scheme. We

offered 10 placements and had 6 individuals placed with us successfully in our teams in Boucher

Crescent, Belfast; Lissue Industrial Estate, Lisburn; and Campsie.

Staff independently organised fundraising activities to support charities and advocacy organisations

for people with disabilities throughout 2018-19. For example, staff from BSO Procurement and

Logistics Service (PaLS), The Cottage, Ballymena participated in Belfast Marathon relay, a sponsored

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cont.

Persons with

and without

a disability

walk, and other fund raising events in aid of the BSO’s chosen charity Friends of the Cancer Centre.

Payroll

In the last year, Payroll actively participated in the regional HSC Disability Placement Scheme. We offered

a placement and subsequently had an individual placed with us successfully for the duration of the

scheme.

Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)

MAGIC (Mobile Assistance for Groups & Individuals within the Community – Post stroke

rehabilitation): This project is co-funded through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020

programme, and is led and co-ordinated by the SBRI within BSO with partners across the EU. MAGIC is

focused upon creating innovative technology, aiming to transform post stroke rehabilitation services.

The aim of the project is to empower patients via improving physical function and personal

independence, and optimise recovery & new cost effective solutions. Magic is now in Phase 3, which

started on 1 October 2018. This has involved 3 feasibility studies/ clinical trials to test different

solutions. Each feasibility study will aim to recruit up to 150 post stroke patients so that there is a

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cont.

Persons with

and without

a disability

potential for up to 450 post stroke patients in Northern Ireland to become involved and benefit from

the project.

CHAT: Project ‘CHAT’ is for Optimising Provision of Speech and Language Therapy to meet the NICE

guidelines following a stroke. CHAT will radically reengineer systems & pathways of care with novel

innovative technology solutions to more effectively rehabilitate patients after stoke who have

identified Speech and Language Therapy needs. Two suppliers were appointed in September 2018 for

Phase 1 of the project.

Family Practitioner Service (FPS)

In the last year, FPS actively participated in the regional HSC Disability Placement Scheme. We offered

a placement and subsequently had an individual placed with us successfully for the duration of the

scheme.

FPS organised a number of fund raising events this year. FPS celebrated 70 years of the NHS with a tea

parties held in July 2018, with proceeds donated to Friends of the Cancer Centre in Belfast. The FPS

Information Unit also entered a relay team in the Belfast Marathon this year, with proceeds from

sponsorship and contributions going to MENCAP. During December, staff from FPS held two fundraisers

for The Northern Ireland Hospice. A Christmas Jumper Day was held on 14th December, with prizes for

the best Christmas attire on each floor. This was followed by a very successful Christmas quiz on 21st

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cont.

Persons with

and without

a disability

December.

Shared Services – Accounts Payable

The Shared Services Accounts Payable team in Ballymena held a coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer

Support on Thursday 20th September.

Recruitment Shared Services

Staff independently organised fundraising activities to support charities and advocacy organisations for

people with disabilities throughout 2018-19. Recruitment staff have taken part in a number of fundraising

activities, including the ‘NHS 70th Year’ Tea Party in December which included fundraising games

alongside Christmas Jumper day in recent months to raise money for this year’s chosen charity, ‘Friends of

the Cancer Centre’.

Human Resources

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cont.

Persons with

and without

a disability

HR ran a Webinar with the theme “Ask, Talk & Listen”. The ‘Success Not Stress’ app has been successful

based on the Mental Health Questionnaire within the app, with 77% of users being advised to seek

further help based on their answers.

A regional Disability Equality Employment Policy has been developed this year by BSO Human

Resources and Trust colleagues. The purpose of this policy is to set out the approach of HSC

organisations in their aim to embrace a ‘social model of disability’ in line with the legislative framework

including their duties to promote positive attitudes towards people with disabilities and to encourage

their participation in employment. It sets out what HSC organisations will do to ensure that disabled

staff and job applicants do not experience barriers to employment in HSC.

A Disability toolkit for line managers has been developed during 2018-19 to support the regional

Disability Equality Employment Policy.

The BSO arranged for a number of disability work placements to be facilitated in the BSO and in some

of our client organisations. A number of those participating in these placements have obtained

permanent employment within the BSO and regional HSC organisations.

Equality Unit

Working alongside ITS, the Equality Unit developed and launched a new website for Tapestry, our HSC

Disability Staff Network. The website is a hub of disability related information for staff. It includes

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cont. information on a range of disabilities and details of upcoming Tapestry meetings and events. Real life

experiences of staff who have disabilities working within the HSC organisations have also been

included, as are links to disability and carers-related support organisations. We also included details of

the Disability Placement Scheme and information on our Disability Awareness Days.

We also developed a programme of work with key stakeholders during 2018-19 to develop the capacity

for people with a disability to participate in public life positions. This included engagement with

representatives from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Disability Action, the NI

Boardroom Apprentice scheme, HSC regional organisations, and the Disability Champions Network.

Mechanisms to develop the capacity of people with a disability to participate in public life positions will

be trialled in the forthcoming year. These include ensuring that public appointments are circulated

within the regional Disability Champions group, as well as Tapestry, the Staff Disability Network. We will

also encourage the arms-length HSC bodies to participate in schemes such as Boardroom Apprentice to

offer opportunities for people for training and learning about boards. Also, work will be done to

highlight the lack of diversity on public boards, and seek to influence review of the public appointments

process.

Persons with

and without

HSC Recruitment and Selection

During 2018-19, research was conducted to test our new Branding Concepts. This explored public views on

proposed branding concepts which might be used in future advertisements to attract applicants to the

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dependants HSC. A series of focus groups were organised, with a specific focus on people who were either seeking

work or would be seeking work in the near future. Individuals who have responsibility for older children;

individuals who have younger children; and individuals who have children who have left home or “empty

nesters” were specifically targeted. Research findings will now be presented to Senior HSC Managers /

DoH representatives to agree the final branding concept to be used.

Family Practitioner Service (FPS)

FPS have developed an equality Sharepoint page for their staff, which is more effective in delivering

information than notice board information and/ or e-mails. This Sharepoint page includes all minutes and

agendas of Equality Forum meetings, as well as direct links and instructions on how to register with a

disability or as a carer.

Moreover, we have been actively developing and promoting the collection of Equality Monitoring Data, with the aim of

tracking the impact of policies on all nine groups. Facilitated by the BSO Procurement and Logistics Service, we took action

to proactively promote equality of opportunity with regards to our contracts with recruitment agencies. Together with

our HSC partners and the local Trusts, we included in the most recent tender specific requirements for bidders to

demonstrate how they promote equality with reference to: training their staff; gathering feedback from agency workers;

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their provisions on making reasonable adjustments for agency workers; and outreach work to attract a diverse range of

agency workers. The tender specification also included requirements relating to the collection of equality monitoring data

for all nine equality groupings and for auditing. This has enabled us this year to monitor the diversity of agency workers

placed with us and audit recruitment agencies contract adherence. Where necessary, we can engage with recruitment

agencies in relation to measures to address under-representation and the user experience of specific equality groupings.

Similarly, we are now using equality monitoring forms for people who participate in our Disability Placement Scheme,

capturing all nine equality groupings. This will enable us to see how diverse the group of people being placed with us are

and where necessary work with the provider to take further outreach measures.

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(ECNI Q4,5,6)

2. During the 2018-19 reporting period

(a) were the Section 75 statutory duties integrated within…?

Yes/No Details Job descriptions Yes Since December 2017 Section 75 is mentioned in all new job

descriptions. Performance objectives for staff

No

(b) were objectives and targets relating to Section 75 integrated into…?

Yes/No Details Corporate/strategic plans Yes In our 2018-2021 Corporate Plan, one of the corporate values is

“Respect”. Aligned to this are a series of corporate objectives, including:

a commitment to show respect for the diversity and individuality of others, and;

to act fairly and even-handedly, promoting equality and addressing inequality.

Annual business plans Yes In the BSO Business Plan for 2018-19, a range of objectives directly related to promoting equality and good relations for Section 75 groups. These included, for example:

plans for Interpreting Service provision to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community in line with Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) policies and direction (carried over from BSO Business Plan 2017-

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18);

Support the draft Programme for Government Healthier Workplaces initiative, via Health and Wellbeing initiatives such as use of the SOMA App (Success Not Stress Initiative) and Health Fairs and participation in regional initiatives.

(ECNI Q11,12,17)

3. Please provide any details and examples of good practice in consultation during the 2018-19 reporting period, on matters relevant (e.g. the development of a policy that has been screened in) to the need to promote equality of opportunity and/or the desirability of promoting good relations:

None

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(ECNI Q21, 26)

4. In analysing monitoring information gathered, was any action taken to change/review any policies?

Yes - please see Table 3 below for further information.

Table 3

Service or Policy What equality monitoring information did you collect and analyse?

What action did you take as a result of this analysis?

AND

Did you make any changes to the service or policy as a result?

What difference did this make for Section 75 groups?

Information Technology Services (ITS)

HCN/NHAIS replacement

(This refers to the new digital identity service that will hold demographic reference

Initial work involved workshops to capture the requirements of transgender individuals and the potential impact on the delivery of clinical services.

Data was gathered as part of these workshops.

Data gathered during the workshops will be passed to Department of Health to inform policy and potential legislative change

Transgender individuals’ requirements and needs will be taken into account when planning and rolling out the new services.

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AND



information for all clients using HSC services.)

UK Health Research Authority (HRA) Guidance ‘Informing Research Participants and seeking Consent’ – Screening for use in Northern Ireland

Census 2011

Carers NI data

GIRES 2014

Health Survey Northern Ireland 2016-17

Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey 2016

NI Assembly Research and Information Service

NISRA Mid-year age population estimates

Northern Ireland Pooled Household Surveys (NIPHS)

The pdf versions of the actual guidance on the Health Research Authority (HRA) website vary in font size from 10 to 14 which can be difficult for a stakeholder using the guidance who has visual impairment. This issue was highlighted to the HRA.

It would be helpful if the guidance did state that there would be a requirement to ensure that

Improvements for people with visual difficulties across the UK in accessing the HRA guidance with suggestions to make all documents available in size 14. The need for research documentation to be in a research participant’s first language is considered in all ethics submission by the ethics committees including those in Northern Ireland.

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AND



ORECNI Staff Data

HSC Research Ethics Committee member Data

documentation produced using the guidance would have to be translated into the native language of a person who is participating in the research. This issue was highlighted to the HRA.

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(ECNI Q22)

5. Please provide any details or examples of where the monitoring of policies, during the 2018-19 reporting period, has shown changes to differential/adverse impacts previously assessed:

None.

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(ECNI Q25)

6. Please provide any examples of relevant training shown to have worked well, in that participants have achieved the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve the stated objectives:

Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) Training evaluation

The BSO Equality Unit for staff coordinates and delivers joint Section 75 training programme across all 11 partner

organisations, including the BSO itself. As the numbers of participants who participate in the EQIA training each year from

each organisation are small (e.g. the BSO had one individual who completed EQIA training in 2018-19), the following

statistics relate to all participants from all partner organisations who completed the EQIA Training during the year.

Following the training, participants were asked: “Overall how well do you think you have achieved the following learning

outcomes?” The majority of participants felt that each of the four learning outcomes were achieved either ‘Very well’ or

‘Well’:

1. To demonstrate an understanding of what the law says on EQIAs 100%; 2. To demonstrate an understanding of the EQIA process 100%; 3. To demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of EQIAs 100%; 4. To develop skills in practically carrying out EQIAs 100%.

Screening Training evaluation

Each participant is asked to complete a short evaluation form when their Screening Training is completed. In 2018-19, the

majority of participants felt the aims of the training were achieved either ‘Very Well’ or ‘Well’. These four aims focused on

improving participants’ understanding and skills in equality screening. These are listed below, alongside the proportion of

participants who felt each aim was met ‘Very Well’ or ‘Well’.

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1. To develop an understanding of the statutory requirements for screening: 95%; 2. To develop an understanding of the benefits of screening: 100%; 3. To develop an understanding of the screening process: 95%; 4. To develop skills in practically carrying out screening: 90%.

When asked, “How valuable was the course to you personally?” the majority of participants (95%) felt the course was

either ‘Extremely Valuable’ or ‘Valuable’.

Making A Difference training

In total, 382 (194 in 2018-19) BSO staff have now completed ‘Making A Difference’ e-learning. This e-learning package on equality awareness now forms part of mandatory training for all staff in our organisation. The aim of ‘Making A Difference’ is to show how staff can make a difference to the culture of their organisation by:

Promoting positive attitudes to diversity

Ensuring everyone is treated with respect and dignity

Behaving in a way that is in keeping with HSC values and equality and human rights law.

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(ECNI Q29)

7. Are there areas of the Equality Scheme arrangements (screening/consultation/training) your organisation anticipates will be focused upon in the next reporting period?

In the next reporting period (2019-20), we anticipate the four following areas will be focused upon:

1. Increasing numbers of equality screenings and their timely publication for each of the service areas within the BSO;

2. Engagement with staff and Section 75 groups as part of screening procedures;

3. Collection, review/analysis and use of equality information;

4. Staff training.

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Appendix – Further Explanatory Notes

1 Consultation and Engagement

(ECNI Q10)

Targeting – During the year, where relevant, we took a targeted approach to consultation in addition to issuing an initial notification of consultation. Moreover, we engaged with targeted groups as part of our work preceding formal consultations, to inform our consultation documents.

(ECNI Q13)

Awareness raising for consultees on Equality Scheme commitments – During the year, in our quarterly screening reports we raised awareness as to our commitments relating to equality screenings and their publication. In any EQIA reports we explained our commitments relating to Equality Impact Assessments. We did the same when we held consultation events, such as in relation to our Equality Action Plan, and in the action plan document itself.

(ECNI Q14)

Consultation list – During the year, we reviewed our consultation list every quarter.

2 Audit of Information Systems

(ECNI Q20)

We completed an audit of information systems at an early stage of our Equality Scheme implementation, in line with our Scheme commitments.

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