Equality & Diversity

South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust are committed, and as a public sector organisation statutorily required to ensure that equality, diversity and Human Rights are embedded into all our functions and activities within the organisation.

In undertaking our functions we must have due regard to the need to:
eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;
advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and
foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

The Trust’s Equality Strategy details how we will meet these requirements by reference to Equality Data for those people within the communities that we serve and for our workforce.

Our Equality Objectives have been set based on the best available evidence at the time when we completed our analysis. We do however recognise that there has not always been good evidence available across all protected characteristics to inform these objectives. Much of the work over the coming months/years will be on improving the quality and quantity of the available monitoring data on staff and service users and engaging with groups of staff and service users where monitoring data will not be collected.

The Equality Delivery System (EDS)

The EDS is designed to support us to deliver better outcomes for patients and communities and better environments for staff, which are personal, fair and diverse. The EDS is all about making differences to healthy living and working lives.
At the heart of EDS is a set of agreed goals. These are:
Goal 1 – Better health outcomes for all
Goal 2 – Improved patient access and experience
Goal 3 – Empowered, engaged and well supported staff
Goal 4 – Inclusive leadership at all levels

Our Equality Objectives The EDS has formed part of the evidence that has helped us set our Equality Objectives. We have also consulted with patients, carers, local interest groups as well as Trade Union representatives and staff. We have agreed, for South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, 5 Equality Objectives.

Tell us your feedback If you have any comments on any of this equality and diversity information please contact:
Sonia Atkinson, Assistant Head of Personnel
Email: sonia.atkinson@stft.nhs.uk
Tel: 0191 4041000