Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
At DCHS we are committed to fairness, equity and inclusion in our employment policies and practices.
Respect, dignity, compassion, and care should be at the core of how patients and staff are treated not only because that is the right thing to do but because patient safety, experience and outcomes are all improved when staff are valued, empowered and supported.
We are working hard to make sure that everything we do is fair, equitable and that we treat people with dignity and respect.
Our Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights strategy shows some of the good work we have done so far and what our main equality priorities are for the future.
Given our roles as a service provider and an employing organisation in Derby and Derbyshire, addressing workforce inequalities as well as health inequalities are at the heart of DCHS’ values.
We fulfil our duties under the Equality Act 2010 that legally protects people from discrimination in wider society and at work and also our specific duties outlined in the National Health Service Act 2006 and as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 that introduced, for the first time, legal duties to reduce health inequalities, particularly through ongoing efforts to improve access to, experience of and outcomes from healthcare services.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we endeavour to ensure that disabled people
have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. We remain signatories to the British Sign Language Charter and the Armed Forces Covenant respectively, and also a Veteran Aware Trust.
Our robust Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) governance groups and
Equalities Board helps to assure delivery on our EDI agenda for colleagues, patients and communities. Aside from regular updating on our EDI work/activity on tackling inequalities through our governance, we are also required to produce a number of equality reports annually to comply with the equality duty under the Equality Act as well as the NHS Standard Contract.
Our key reports over the past year, 2023/24, are accessible via the following links: