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Press release: NHS Employers launches framework to help the NHS meet new disability and gender legislation07 Nov 2006 NHS Employers has today launched a new framework to help NHS organisations meet upcoming legislation on disability and gender. Launched at NHS Employers' second national equality and diversity conference, the framework gives advice on how to carry out equality impact assessments that ensure an organisation does not discriminate against either its staff or its patients on the grounds of race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion and belief. Janet Fox, NHS Employers disability equality programme lead, said: "Trusts are already legally required to carry out a race impact assessment and new legislation means they will shortly have to also carry out impact assessments on disability and gender. Many trusts would rather carry out just one impact assessment that takes into account race, disability and gender. It saves time and a single impact assessment means they can also take into account age, sexual orientation and religion and belief. "However, the different laws on race, disability and gender all have slightly different requirements. So we have produced a framework to help trusts work through a single impact assessment and ensure they meet all the requirements from the three different pieces of legislation." The three different pieces of legislation also require NHS organisations to produce and publish race, gender and disability equality schemes as a result of the assessments outlining the actions they are going to take. In addition to the new framework, NHS Employers has also issued advice on how to produce a single equality scheme that takes into account the different legal requirements of race, disability and gender laws. Notes for editors* The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 requires NHS organisations to carry out an equality impact assessment and produce and publish a race equality scheme. From 4 December 2006, trusts will also be required to carry out an impact assessment and produce a disability equality scheme under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and from April 2007, trusts will need to carry out an impact assessment and produce a gender equality scheme under the Equality Act 2006. 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 8 Nov 2006 |
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