Top tips for equality and diversity in practice:
1. Get the basics right: set clear equality and diversity objectives, collect the key data and have a robust reporting system in place to track progress.
2. Prioritise activity: your baseline assessment will identify where you need to focus your efforts, linked to your organisation's priorities.
3. Make it core business: your equality and diversity objectives should support your organisation's objectives and tap into the key agendas for your management and board.
4. Get senior buy-in: board-level support is crucial to mainstreaming equality and diversity in your organisation and signals its importance to staff and patients.
5. Engage staff: give staff clear and consistent messages about recognising and valuing diversity in your organisation. It's an important recruitment and retention tool.
6. Recruit champions: a network of champions, including one at board level, can help to maintain the focus and get others on board.
7. Involve everyone: all your key internal groups should be involved including staff networks, the trade unions and different professional groups. You will need them to secure a broad base of support across your organisation.
8. Maintain momentum: reviewing and setting your equality and diversity objectives to ensure they continue to meet your organisation's needs should be part of your annual business planning cycle. The Equality Act will provide the legal framework for this.
9. Celebrate successes: remember to mark your milestones and successes, and communicate them internally to keep all staff on board.
10. Link to service delivery: make the links from your equality and diversity activity to service delivery. This will ensure a more coherent approach to achieving your organisation's equality and diversity (and business) objectives and will give your work more impact.