Discrimination Legislation - Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust

What is Equality and Diversity? Meeting the Challenge Improving Working Lives Disability & Gender Equality Scheme Working in Partnership with the PCT and Community Interpreting and Translation Services/Telephone Lines Staff Networks Race Equality Schemes

Discrimination Legislation & Equality Schemes

Discrimination Legislation Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust

There is already legislation to protect people against discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and religion or belief and the Trust has policies in place to ensure that we are compliant with this legislation. For more information around this legislation a useful starting point is the Commission for Equality and Human Rights: www.cehr.org.uk

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations came into force on 1st October 2006; these regulations make it unlawful to discriminate against workers, employees, job seekers and trainees because of their age, whether old or young. The new regulations cover recruitment, terms and conditions, promotions, transfers, dismissals and training and the Trust policies have been amended to reflect this new legislation.

Equality Schemes

The Trust currently has in place a Race Equality Scheme (RES), see link below, which sets out the Trust's plans for ensuring that the specific and general duties of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 are met. We are in the process of developing a Disability Equality Scheme but have taken the view that it would be more beneficial to embrace a more rounded Single Equality Scheme (SES) which encompasses race, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, trans-gender status, age and human rights.

Single Equality Scheme (SES)-Learning Site Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust

The Equality and Human Rights Group at the Department of Health (DH) has set up a Single Equality Scheme (SES) project to enable the DH to produce a guidance documents for Trusts to help them in developing their Single Equality Schemes and giving them access to best practice documents.

Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust was selected as a Learning Site for this project in May 2006 and it will be the focus of information for other neighbouring Trusts and the regional Equality and Diversity Leads. The Trust's Equality and Diversity Lead is the representative for the Learning Site.

We wish to consult widely with staff, patients, members, community groups and the public as this SES is developed. Have you any views? What do you think should be included? Would you like to get involved?

Please contact Dorcas Akeju, Trust Equality & Diversity Lead at dorcas.akeju@lwh.nhs.uk if you wish to make a comment or get involved.