How we are addressing race issues
‘A Fairer NHSGGC 2020-24’ explains how the organisation is meeting the requirements of equality legislation. This includes demonstrating how we will assess the impact of the measures we have put in place to ensure race equality for service users and staff.
Areas of work include:
Access to Services
National evidence shows the BME community experience additional barriers in accessing health and social care services.
We are currently working intensively with two services – diabetes and pain management/physiotherapy – to improve access for BME patients. The learning from this has helped develop a Equality Sensitive Patient Pathway for NHSGGC as a whole.
Following consultation with staff and patients current actions include –
Review all patient information for readability and accessibility
Develop information routes for those with lower health literacy around pain
Explore how the opt-in service accommodates the needs of those from BME communities specifically
Develop a route for non-English speakers to ask for advice outwith appointment times via direct patient access to telephone interpreting
Understand how therapeutic group work can work best whilst utilising spoken language interpreters.
Perinatal Care
National evidence indicated marginalised groups, in particular, BME pregnant women; women living in poverty and those experiencing gender based violence, fair worse in accessing and using maternity services.
A local baseline research was conducted with patients, maternity and third sector staff to assess current issues for marginalised groups using NHSGGC maternity services. A review of best practice interventions was also carried out. The focus of the work has been to look at the patient journey through maternity and identify any barriers for BME women.
Actions identified so far to address these issues include –
Develop a leaflet in multiple languages to describe each stage of the maternity pathway, how to access support and highlight emergency routes
Explore how to maximise the value of ante natal classes for non-English speakers
Develop training for Maternity Staff on meeting the needs of BME women thnrughout our pathway
Develop a route for non-English speakers to ask for advice outwith appointment times through direct patient access to telephone interpreting.
Interpreting service
Interpreting services address a number of risks for both service users and staff. For example, patients who have a limited understanding of English:
- may not be able to give informed consent
- may not be able to ask questions or seek assistance
- may not be aware of what services are available to them
- may not be able to use medication properly or follow care plans
- may come from cultures with different understandings of health and illness
- may not understand how to use NHS services
- may not understand their rights and responsibilities within the healthcare system
Ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in the health care process benefits all concerned.In addition, equalities legislation stipulates that the organisation must be pro-active in ensuring that this is the case.
NHSGGC’s in-house interpreting service provides interpreters to NHS patients on request. The service is available to a wide range of service areas and departments, including hospital wards, outpatient clinics, medical practices, dental surgeries,pharmacies and opticians located throughout the NHSGGC area.
‘Clear to All’ Accessible Information Policy
Effective information and communication are vital for the provision of high-quality services and care. Many of those who access services have difficulty understanding the information provided. An Accessible Information Policy has been produced to ensure that all information can be made available in various languages and formats to meet the needs of our diverse community.
A toolkit for staff has been developed which helps to provide information and support in the development of accessible information for NHS patients, their carers and the public. The toolkit aims to ensure that the material we develop is clear, consistent with NHSGGC guidance, accurate and in everyday language.
Details are available on the ‘Clear to All’ Accessible Information Policy web page.