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Press release: NHS prepares for major new age legislation coming into force on Sunday28 Sep 2006 After two years of preparation, Europe's largest employer, the NHS, is ready for the new Age Discrimination legislation, which comes into effect this weekend. Carole Smith, age diversity programme manager at NHS Employers, said today: "NHS Employers has been taking age issues very seriously. From Sunday, it will be illegal to discriminate against anyone due to their age, either directly or indirectly and the costs to the NHS could be considerable if organisations fail to comply. We also need to bear in mind changing demographics, which mean we have an ageing workforce and it is vital that the NHS can recruit and retain people of all ages." "It's about being flexible and ensuring that staff of all ages are given the same opportunities. For instance, a nurse in his late 50s should still be offered the same training opportunities and careers advice as a nurse just starting out in her early 20s. Equally, younger staff members need to be encouraged to go for internal promotions to management posts in the same way as people 10 or 15 years older them, provided they have the skills and knowledge necessary for the job. Also, employers need to learn not to make assumptions, such as assuming that everyone wants to work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, when in reality, people will usually have different working preferences at different ages and stages in their career. Perhaps it may suit some people, at certain stages in their career, to work at weekends or in the evenings rather than during the week." Over the past two years, NHS Employers has produced a wide range of support material including briefing documents, presentations and checklist of actions that organisations need to do to make sure they are in compliance with the new age legislation. In partnership with trade unions, NHS Employers has also run a joint review this summer on the NHS redundancy and early retirement arrangements to make sure they comply with the new law. "I am optimistic that most organisations in the NHS have been preparing policies and procedures in time for the new legislation. However, ageism is prevalent in our daily lives and the NHS organisations will also need to consider how they will continue to raise awareness and change attitudes among staff. This isn't something that can happen overnight, "said Carole Smith. Notes for editors* Further information on the work of NHS Employers on age discrimination is available at http://www.nhsemployers.org/excellence/excellence-361.cfm Contact detailsThe press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers. If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:
For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726. Last reviewed 28 Sep 2006 |
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