Name: Newham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Industry: Healthcare

Project Summary: Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) training. Design of Single Equality Scheme (SES).

Business Issue: Newham is one of the most diverse parts of the UK with a BME population exceeding 40% and therefore impact assessment is seen as a key driver to organisational effectiveness. Newham University Hospitals NHS Trust wanted to train its staff in diversity awareness and complete a train-the-trainer module to enable its own internal people to administer the training, as well as establishing world-class in-house impact assessment capabilities. The Trust also wanted to design and launch a high quality Single Equality Scheme.

PTI Action: PTI conducted a thorough review of impact assessment methodology within Newham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Following the review of existing practice, PTI re-designed the Newham NHS EQIA toolkit to ensure the methodology met the needs of the organisation’s highly complex and varied diversity challenges. Following the review and re-design, PTI was asked to develop a training package to ensure staff had the skills to utilise the new EQIA process. PTI developed a tailored training solution and trained a number of internal facilitators to disseminate the module and, therefore, the impact assessment knowledge, throughout the organisation. In respect of the Single Equality Scheme, PTI completed all research and analysis of workforce and service user data, we collected the local/national demographic data needed to inform the scheme and we ran consultation workshops with key stakeholder groups. We then wrote and made ready for publication the SES.

Business Result: Following successful completion of the training, the organisation is now fully equipped to drive the EIA process utilising internal rather than external resources. The Single Equality Scheme was duly subjected to final consultation and has subsequently been published.