Positive action

This section will be of interest to NHS organisations undertaking, or considering, positive action initiatives. It provides information on the rationale behind positive action, practical guidance in setting up such schemes and presents some useful examples of positive action currently delivering benefits to the NHS.

Positive action is legal and in certain circumstances, encouraged by the Department of Health. This is because positive action:

• seeks to support groups in society which have been disadvantaged in the past
• helps to address some of the imbalances which still exist between staff in the NHS and the communities we serve
• can bring real benefits to organisations by widening recruitment channels and consequently broadening the experience, knowledge and ideas influencing the organisation.

In 2003, NHS Employers set up a programme of work on Positive Action within the NHS. Since then, the legal and employment landscape has changed, with new laws on age, disability and gender and also the introduction of public sector duties.

We have therefore produced a briefing Positive Action: Five Years on which looks at what has changed and what healthcare organisations have achieved in the last five years.