We are committed to providing first class responsive services and ensuring that all patients, carers, volunteers, and employees receive fair and equal treatment throughout their care and employment and are treated with respect and dignity regardless of differences.

We will deliver high quality, patient centred accessible services and as an employer provide a positive,  inclusive and fair workplace culture free from discrimination. Our staff will ensure they are consciously inclusive in their day to day practice and interactions with our diverse patients and teams, removing inequality in the provision of both health services and employment practices.

Our annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plan outlines how we will do this, you can read the full details here in our EDI Plan 2022 – 2026.

• You can read our latest Annual Equality Information Monitoring Report 2022/23.

The following sections detail our legal, contractual and regulatory requirements and how we are meeting and exceeding these as an organisation:

The Equality Act 2010

In line with the Equality Act 2010, there is a duty for all public bodies to consider how their decisions and activities as a service provider and employer affect people who share different protected characteristics covering:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Race, including ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2020 is made up of a general duty and specific duties which places various duties on the Trust to comply with.  The general duty has three aims and requires us to have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimization and other conduct prohibited under the Act
• Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
• Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it

The specific duties require the Trust to publish details of how the trust is meeting the above duties, publish equality objectives and demonstrate inclusive decision making.

Our annual Equality compliance reports documents progress made in relation to the commitment and compliance to equality and inclusion and profiles our patients and employees highlighting areas of focus in the preceding year as our equality objectives.

Equality Delivery System

The Trust utilises the Equality Delivery System 2 as a performance improvement framework to deliver and monitor our progress against our statutory requirements. NHS providers are expected to use EDS2 to help them improve their equality performance for patients, communities and staff, as well as helping them to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The EDS2 has four goals which are:

• Better health outcomes
• Improved patient access and experience
• A representative and supportive workforce
• Inclusive leadership

We will continue to work with our stakeholders to review our performance and identify areas for improvement.

Bolton FT Equality Delivery System Report 2023/24 (pdf).

Workforce Race Equality Standard

The Workforce Race Equality Standard aims to ensure employees from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds have equal access to career opportunities and receive fair treatment in the workplace. It requires the Trust to demonstrate progress against nine standard indicators specifically focused at race equality through the collection, analysis and use of workforce data to address any underrepresentation, poor treatment or unequal opportunities.

Follow the link to read the latest WRES report and action plan for our trust.

Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES)

The NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) is a set of specific measures (metrics) that enables us to compare the experiences of disabled and non-disabled staff. It supports positive change for existing employees, and enables a more inclusive environment for our employees.

Follow the link to read the latest WDES report and action plan for our trust.

Our commitment to being an antiracist organisation

We know that racial inequalities exist in Bolton and have a profound impact on the experiences and outcomes of our staff, patients and the communities we serve.

Not being racist is simply not enough and our commitment is more than just words. We are an actively anti-racist organisation which means we do not tolerate any form of racism, and actively root out and address racial unfairness of any form.

For our words to become a reality for everyone, we have defined the action we will take.

Together we will:

• Embrace our responsibility to call out, address and eradicate racism so that everyone is able to reach their full potential.
• Have specific antiracist objectives that will be monitored through our FABB appraisal process.
• Ensure that our workforce feels a profound sense of belonging and is reflective of the diverse communities we serve. This includes equal opportunities for career development and advancement, free from discrimination and bias.
• Continue to tackle health inequalities and eliminate racial disparities, so that no one is disadvantaged because of their ethnicity or background. All patients will receive high quality care, feel respected and understood through every step of their care.
• Collaborate closely with our Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Staff Network and other community partners to develop and implement our Anti-Racist Action Plan. This plan will be aligned with the NHS Patient Carers Race Equality Framework and our Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES).
• Address instances of bullying and harassment and actively create a culture of transparency and dialogue about racism within our organisation.
• Review and revise our policies, procedures and training programs to address and eliminate racial bias. This includes ensuring that our recruitment, retention, and promotion practices are equitable and inclusive.
• Actively engage with local and regional initiatives to address racial inequalities and support efforts to influence broader societal change. We will advocate for and contribute to community-led initiatives that aim to reduce racial disparities and improve outcomes for all.

Every member of our Bolton team has a responsibility to address racism, and we know this will be a journey of continuous learning, unlearning and transformation.

To keep us on track and hold ourselves to account, we will measure and report transparently on our progress towards creating a consistently inclusive environment, including the areas that need further work.

Gender Pay Gap

The mandatory gender pay gap analysis requires us to report workforce data across gender and pay bands and develop an action plan to address any gaps or over/under representation.

We report our annual data to the Government’s Gender Pay Gap reporting portal, and we monitor it regularly through our workforce governance structure. Our latest reports can be found on their website portal.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Gender Pay Gap Report 2023

Equality Impact Assessment

EIAs are a tool which  help us to understand how our policies, practices and service provision impact on people, positively and negatively, and put actions in place to remove or remove any disadvantage.  They help us to identify any further actions that need to be taken against all protected groups and patients and employees.

EIAs are integrated and used in policy making and service development activities and through records are kept.

Supporting access, information and communications needs

The Trust offers interpretation services to patients whose first language is not English including face to face language interpreters, telephone language interpreters, British Sign Language (BSL) and Lip Speakers. All our written information is available in different languages and formats upon request.

Wheelchairs and portable hearing loops are also available across our premises. If you have any specific needs please notify the relevant department.  The Trust is committed to continually improving access to our services and experiences of using our services.

The Trust is currently working to meet the requirements of the mandated Accessible Information Standard to ensure we can more effectively identity, flag, record,  share and meet the information and communication needs of people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss.