The Trust’s commitment to equality and diversity underpins all activities, within service delivery, employment and our involvement with the wider community. We recognise that each person is unique and has a range of needs and identities and we aim to take a broad and inclusive approach to equality and diversity.

We believe Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has a vital role to play, not only in improving health and social care for our local community, but also in the continued regeneration of Walsall as a vibrant, multicultural, and diverse area. We’re committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity in everything we do.

We are governed by the Equality Act 2010 which legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. For more information visit Equality Act 2010 Guidance.

We believe any modern organisation must reflect the communities it serves and tackle all forms of discrimination. This means supporting those who access our services and those in our employment.

To help us do this, we recently refreshed our Equality Objectives. These don’t just help us to meet our statutory duties, but to ensure we address issues facing protected groups with clear, demonstrable actions. For more information visit Discrimination Your Rights – Protected Groups.

These objectives are:

Patient experience

• Review and improve service accessibility for those whose first language is not English. This is to understand patient demographics and interpreting requirements.
• Ensure patients are able to have, and report having, positive experiences while using our services.

Workforce

• Support staff health and wellbeing through the promotion of initiatives and healthy lifestyles services.
• Ensure all practices/processes are inclusive and promote belonging and are supported by actions that address inequitable outcomes for protected groups.
• Our executives and senior managers lead with compassion and routinely demonstrate their understanding of, and commitment to, equality and diversity.

The objectives are supported by specific actions which will be measured and reported to the Trust Board.

For information on how we conduct fair recruitment across our workforce, see details on our recruitment pages [link to Working with us page].

We’re always keen to hear about the experiences of our service users. If you (or your carer, partner or family member) would like to share your positive story or tell us how we can improve regarding equality, diversity and inclusion, please get in touch by emailing the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team [Link to WHT team if different to RWT]

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Email: [Link for WHT]