Guidance on Cuts, Equality and Fairness

posted: 28/10/2010

In making cuts and changes to services, public bodies have to obey equality law. Equality law does not prevent public bodies from making difficult decisions about reorganisation, relocation, redundancies, and service cuts, nor does the law stop public authorities from making decisions that may affect one group more than another.

A Must: Equality Impact Assessments
But the public equality duties do enable public authorities to show they are making decisions in a fair, transparent and accountable way, considering the needs and the rights of different members of their community.

The law says public bodies have to carry out an assessment of the impact that changes to policies, procedures and practices could have on different equality groups. These assessments help public bodies make better decisions, based on robust evidence. Public bodies must then 'have regard to' the impact any changes and cuts would have on sections of the community protected by equality law.

The assessment does not have to be a document called an Equality Impact Assessment, although this is what the Equality and Human Rights Commission recommends, as it helps public authorities:

• ensure they have a written record of the equality considerations they have taken into account
• ensure that their decision includes a consideration of the actions that would help to avoid or mitigate any unfair impact on particular equality groups
• make their decisions based on robust evidence
• make the decision-making process more transparent
• comply with the law.

If an Equality Impact Assessment is not done, then the public body must use an another method to systematically assess any adverse impact of a change in policy, procedure or practice.

It is a legal obligation which should remain a top priority, even in times of economic difficulty. Failure may result in authorities facing costly, time-consuming and reputation-damaging legal challenges.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a short guide to help put fairness and transparency at the heart of the difficult financial decisions through meeting the legal obligation to assess equality impact. The guide covers:

• What the law requires now
• What the law requires from April 2011
• Guidance (for practitioners and decision-makers)
• Relevant case law
• Best practice examples
• FAQs Public authorities and service providers
• FAQs Service users and organisations

Short Guide

Full details

HIV, Equalities Impact Assessment

posted: 22/06/2010

The Department of Health has produced a report about the current inequalities in sexual health, the national policies to reduce and eliminate these inequalities, and an action plan to improve national sexual health policy by continuing to narrow them.
 

It includes a chapter about HIV and the equalities aspects of this in England. This includes the impact of HIV on gay and bisexual men, and Africans, and women in England.
 

This Equalities Impact Assessment will be one of the key documents influencing the next national Sexual Health Strategy, when the current sexual health strategy ends next year in 2011.
The document is available to download here on the DH website.
 

Have Your Say About GP Changes

posted: 07/08/2009

Your help is asked in an online survey looking at a recent change to HIV services and one that's planned for early next year. The survey is for people using Greater Manchester clinics even if you don't live in Greater Manchester. 

When the NHS is planning or has changed the way it runs services, they need to look at the changes they are making (or have made) and think about the effects they might have on the local community.

Your help is asked with an online health impact assessment - looking at how changes to sexual health services can be made to work better for us all.

Service changes they want to hear about

• Clinics this year stopped prescribing drugs you would normally get from your GP and instead focused solely on HIV and sexual health care
• The Networks plans to pay all hospitals equally for the HIV care they provide (currently not all hospitals get reimbursed fully for the work they do -this will start next April.)

There is a short online questionnaire.

They want to know the positive and negative effects of these changes. This will help them come up with ways to cut problems and maximise the benefits.

Deadline early October

The deadline for responses is Friday 2 October 2009. Comments submitted will be included in the HIA which will be shared across Greater Manchester towards the end of the year. Actions contained in the HIA will be carried out by the Sexual Health Network.

Take part in the survey here     It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes

The Draft Health Impact Assessment is here if you want to check it.

George House Trust and outside consultations
 

George House Trust is committed to involving HIV positive people in consultation work undertaken by Local Authorities, PCT and national bodies (such as the Department of Health). We are committed to this because we recognise the importance of having a strong service user voice within consultation work.

When we are involved in this work we want to make it clear that we have no control or influence over the outcomes of any particular consultation in which you, as somebody living with HIV may be involved.

• We ask the people / organisation undertaking the consultation work to be clear from the out set what can and cannot be influenced by you as part of the consultation.
• We also ask that the outcomes of the consultation work are made clear including feedback to participants in the consultation.
• Sometimes a member of staff from GHT may be asked to facilitate a particular event. They will always make clear at the beginning of the event that George House Trust has no control over the outcome of the consultation.