PIP is a new benefit for people aged 16-64 who have a disability, physical impairment or mental health condition.
It will replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) but more people will qualify for PIP than DLA.
PIP aims to support people that are experiencing difficulties with daily activities and mobility that are likely to last for 12 months or more.
We want to ensure that patients who have problems with daily living, such as eating or preparing food, taking medication, moving around or managing money, are aware of this benefit and how to claim it.
Posters and leaflets promoting PIP have been produced by NHSGGC and are being distributed throughout our services.
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have put in place a range of initiatives on money worries and employment which can make a substantial difference to vulnerable patients and families. For more information click here.
The COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, welfare reform, austerity and the recession have created extreme poverty in Scotland and the UK. The Scottish Social Renewal Advisory Board and the Marmot Build Back Fairer reports argue for radical action to tackle the long term humanitarian crisis.
People’s human rights to food, fuel, income and shelter are often breached in the humanitarian crisis that has arisen. Poverty, child poverty, stress and social isolation with the long term associated impacts on mental and physical health are public health emergencies. This is due to low economic growth rising unemployment levels; stagnant wages; social security cuts; higher food and fuel prices.
Over 50% of people living in poverty are in work and often claim benefits such a working tax credits. However, often people are unaware of what is their right to social security with around £20 billion unclaimed in the UK every year. In 2020, the Scottish Human Rights Commission developed this short film clip about right to Scotland’s devolved social security powers.
Even before the pandemic, the UN rapporteur on human rights had two visits to Scotland – one on extreme poverty and one on the right to food. The reports cited the UK governments economic and welfare reform policies as a key factor in why these are live public health emergency issues in Scotland (see Human Rights page).
NHSGGC Public Health Strategy post pandemic firmly sets out to tackle poverty, child poverty and mental wellbeing with NHSGGC a partner in the legally required Local Child Poverty Action Plans.
ScotPHN Impact of Welfare Reform on Health (Literature search indertaken by NHS Highland in preparation for Parliamentary Finance Committee in June 2012 and interim guidance for NHS boards on mitigating impact)
The Fairer Scotland Duty came into force in April 2018 with the aim of ensuring that public sector bodies consider how they can reduce socio-economic disadvantage when making key strategic decisions.
Food Insecurity/Poverty – NHSGGC’s hospital based services assess for malnutrition and diet on admission. Our Financial Inclusion Group shares information on good practice around food poverty issues, highlighting the negative impact on health and stress and promoting community food initiatives.
Home Energy Advice – NHSGGC has a partnership with Home Energy Scotland. This means patient and staff struggling to pay with for fuel and requiring improvements to equipment receive the support they need. The service is promoted in hospitals and communities.
Person centred care is at the heart of the National Quality Strategy and aims to deliver effective, safe, non-discriminatory and efficient health and social care.
Being sensitive to inequalities and human rights within person-centred care means working in a way which responds to the life circumstances that affect people’s health. Evidence shows that if these issues are not taken into account by the health service, opportunities are missed to improve health and to reduce health inequalities.
Developing Person Centred Care that is Sensitive to Inequalities
NHSGGC has a number of programmes of work which aim to ensure that our services understand how to recognise and respond to the life circumstances that are affecting someone’s health.
For example, the Healthier Wealthier Children Project focuses on identifying and responding to the needs of people who have worries about money. While the Gender-based Violence Programme is developing the practice of sensitively asking service users about their experience of abuse.
Actions such as providing communication support, routinely asking about social issues such as money worries and stress and referring on as appropriate are key to delivering inequalities sensitive person centred care.
The current issues around Extreme Poverty and Destitution are likely to have a profound effect on NHSGGC patients. We are anticipating an increase in diseases relating to poverty and we can expect increased demand for mental health and primary care services and a negative impact on carers.
There are also a number of initiatives around workforce training and development.
NHSGGC wants to work in partnership with patients, learning from patients’ lived experiences.
We want to ensure that all voices are heard. The Equalities & Human Rights Team’s patient involvement activities therefore specifically engage with people with protected characteristics and other groups that experience discrimination.
People’s experience of inequalities and discrimination impact upon their health, how they engage with health services and manage their health problems. By engaging with communities and responding to feedback we can improve everyone’s experience of NHSGGC services. This work will also inform our equality outcomes and actions for the future. The Equality and Human Rights Team also work closely with the Patient Experience Public Involvement Team to help reach and engage with all our communities.
Involving Patients and Members of the Public
We consult with a variety of patient groups depending on the area of work. For example –
Disability Access – our Disability Access Patient Group, help us investigate and audit the factors affecting disabled people’s access to our buildings and services
Learning Disability – we work in partnership with a number of organisations supporting people with a learning disability and are members of The Life I Want Health Group, a partnership forum made up of 3rd sector services.
Black and Minority Ethnic Communities – our engagement is constantly being developed and delivered with a range of 3rd sector organisations working with BME communities. This has informed our work to ensure communities have access to health information and that our services are delivered in ways which ensure access for all communities.
The Deaf Community – feedback is sought from the deaf community on a range of issues, including the BSL National Plan, our Interpreting services and access to NHSGGC services. The BSL Health Champions – volunteers from the Deaf BSL community – work with us to achieve this and group meetings are open to any Deaf BSL user who lives in the NHSGGC area. The group also has a Facebook page which is used to share information and to get feedback from the BSL community.
The role of Peer Workers
Peer workers are people who draw on their own experiences to help and support others in similar circumstances. Their lived experience enables them to connect in a meaningful way with those they are supporting.
The role of Engagement and Educational Peer Workers was introduced in NHSGGC in 2022. Our current work focuses on Immunisation, Screening, Poverty and aims to –
Support the ongoing patient engagement within the vaccination programme; identify barriers to vaccine take-up and provide information on vaccines, poverty assistance and access to NHSGGC services.
Maximise the contact with communities who find it hard to engage with NHSGGC’s routine patient involvement activities and support them to do so.
The Peer Workers run discussion sessions with their groups on issues relating to healthcare and people’s experience of using NHS services. They also provide information on the advice and support available to NHSGGC patients, particularly around help with financial hardship.
The Fairer Scotland Duty came into force on 1 April 2018. It places a legal responsibility on named public bodies in Scotland to actively consider how they can reduce inequalities caused by socio-economic disadvantage when making strategic decisions.
Scottish Government guidance (2021) Fairer Scotland Duty: guidance for public bodies provides a comprehensive explanation of the Duty together with useful tools to assess decision making processes.
Addressing socio-economic issues in NHSGGC
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is involved in a range of work to tackle inequality as a result of income inequality, poverty and social issues.
Home Energy Advice – NHSGGC has a partnership with Home Energy Scotland. This means patient and staff struggling to pay with for fuel and requiring improvements to equipment receive the support they need. The service is promoted in hospitals and communities.
NHSGGC’s hospital based services assess for malnutrition and diet on admission. Our Financial Inclusion Group shares information on good practice around food poverty issues, highlighting the negative impact on health and stress and promoting community food initiatives.
Food insecurity – worrying about accessing enough food, making compromises to quality or quantity or just going without – is becoming much more of an issue for our communities.
People experiencing food insecurity face not only a lack of sufficient food, but also negative impacts on their health and the stress of being able to feed their family from one day to the next. This can also come with feelings of shame and helplessness, social stigma and isolation. Community food initiatives have a really important role to play here, as they can provide emotional and practical support as well as places for people to access food.
Find your local foodbank
For more information on how to access a foodbank, donate or help out, click on the links below.
Domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault, prostitution, child sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence cause immense pain and suffering and are a major public health issue. The emotional, psychological and physical consequences of gender-based violence can be profound and include fatal injury, physical health problems, chronic conditions, mental health problems and negative health behaviours.
Many people affected by gender-based violence are reluctant to disclose this experience, often through fear or shame. However, they do present across the whole range of primary and acute health settings. Health workers are therefore in a unique position to provide help and support. If we do not ask about or respond to gender-based violence there is a danger that the health issue won’t be treated properly and could increase the risk of long-term and chronic ill-health and even death.
Health workers across the whole of the health service need to know about gender-based violence, what to look for and how to respond. This is fundamental to our duty of care to patients and part of our role to promote gender equality.
The prevention of gender-based violence and the care of people experiencing it is a key priority for public protection within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Imagine your child is sick. You take them to hospital but you can’t find a way to let the staff there know what is wrong.They ask you questions, but you don’t understand what they are saying.
This is just one of the frightening scenarios which people can find themselves in if they have difficulties with the types of communication many of us take for granted. There are many reasons why someone might find themselves in this situation:
English is not their first language
They have a visual impairment, are Deaf or hard of hearing
A condition such as a stroke or having learning difficulties is making communication difficult
They have difficulty reading
Health staff not being able to communicate effectively with patients can have real consequences for their health and the services they receive. Many patients miss appointments or are unable to access services because of the language barrier. It is also frustrating for staff who find themselves unable to communicate with their patients.
NHSGGC aims to ensure that we providing effective communication support for all those who need it.
Accessible Information Policy
NHSGGC’s ‘Clear to All’ Accessible Information Policy is designed to make sure there is a consistent, accurate and clear approach in providing information to patients and members of the public in a range of formats and languages. Translated versions of any NHSGGC resource or information relating to individual clinical care can be obtained via the Clear to All web page.
Providing interpreting services is a vital part of the ongoing work to ensure that everyone receives the best possible care. NHSGGC has an in-house interpreting service. Find out more about the Interpreting Service.
For a range of language resources currently available for NHS staff, please go to Staff Resources.
What is Social Class
What is social class?
Social Class can be defined by:
economic factors (wealth, income, occupation)
political factors (status, power)
cultural factors (lifestyle, education, values, beliefs).
Despite arguments that the class system has changed over the past 50 years it is still the case that important differences in shared beliefs and values relate more obviously to class than any other social category.
Social class leads to inequalities of resources, whether that is income, education, housing or health.
Social Class and Discrimination
People’s experience of class and poverty can lead to their views not being heard, being left out when decisions are being made, isolation and humiliation.
A recent poll showed that poor people in particular think that class, not ability, greatly affects the way they are seen.
In the last 25 years the number of people in the top two social classes has doubled in Glasgow. However while the city’s middle class has grown and prospered, other parts have seen little improvement. Many people are dependent on sickness or unemployment benefits or low paid work. This has led to growing inequality.
Social class discrimination can affect many areas of people lives; access to education, housing, social mobility and job opportunities and pay. Numerous studies have been carried out into the effect being working class might have on an individual’s working life. In 2017, the Social Mobility Commission found there was a class pay gap where professionals from working class backgrounds earn an average of £6,800 less than professionals from higher classes.
There is currently no specific protection within the Equality Act 2010 on the grounds of class; although the Fairer Scotland Duty does offer some protection.
Social Class and Other Protected Characteristics
There is a strong link between social class and groups with other protected characteristics, as they are often denied access to power, wealth, status, resources and opportunities.
For example:
Employment among all black/minority ethnic groups in Glasgow is 10% lower than for white Glaswegians
68% of disabled people have an income of less than £10,000
Women are more likely to be poor than men due to lower paid jobs, part-time jobs and the fact that 90% of lone parents are women
In Scotland today the pay gap between women and men can translate to a loss of over £330,000 in a woman’s working life – just because she is a woman.
Social class is not a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010 however it has close links to poor health and other forms of inequality.
The Fairer Scotland Duty came into force on 1 April 2018. It places a legal responsibility on named public bodies in Scotland to actively consider how they can reduce inequalities caused by socio-economic disadvantage when making strategic decisions.
Scottish Government guidance (2021) Fairer Scotland Duty: guidance for public bodies provides a comprehensive explanation of the Duty together with useful tools to assess decision making processes.
Why social class matters to Health
Social class leads inequalities of resources, whether that is income, education, housing or health. This has led to widely varying but predictable life chances and health outcomes across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The link between social class and health was identified almost 40 years ago. In 1980, there was found to be a clear inequality in life expectancy between men in social class 1 (managers and professionals) and social class 5 (unskilled workers).
The reasons for the link between social class and health includes things such as health risks in low paid, unsafe jobs and stress caused by having low status and lack of power.
Upward and downward social mobility can improve or decrease people’s life chances. Certain events such as such as leaving home, becoming a parent, losing your job or bereavement can make us vulnerable to falling into a low income or low status in society.
Social class inequality has an impact on the whole of society. Research shows that more equal societies have better health rather than richer societies where there is a bigger gap between rich and poor.
How are we addressing social class issues
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is carrying out a range of work to tackle inequality as a result of income inequality, poverty and social issues.
These include:
Monitoring the impact of the recession and welfare reform on health
Increasing referrals to employability and money advice services
Measuring the health gap so that we know that specific programmes of work are making the gap better or worse
In ‘Turning the Tide through Prevention’, the Public Health Strategy 2018-2022, we can see that the determinants of health are well documented and many of them lie outside the direct influence of the NHS, such as relieving poverty, improving housing or education. A crucial element of this strategy is therefore the effectiveness of our influence on these factors through community planning partnerships and the way we work with Scottish and UK governments and the people who use our services.
Local health and social care partnerships mean that staff work together to give people support with health and social issues to reduce health inequality.
Tina lives with her husband and two children. Two years ago she suffered a serious brain haemorrhage. The consequences of her illness, which was completely unexpected, were devastating.
In order to care for Tina and the children her husband had to leave his job. But when he tried to claim benefits he was told that he wasn’t entitled and would have to wait 10-16 weeks before they would be given any money at all. They said he had made himself voluntarily unemployed. This advice was wrong.
For four months the family had no income at all except for a small amount of Child Benefit and Tax Credit. They didn’t receive Housing Benefit, although entitled to it, and their rent wasn’t being paid. They sunk deeper and deeper into debt.
The family were struggling to survive on less than £50 a week. Through social services they were put in touch with the Family Support Unit (FSU) who helped with food parcels and Home Start, who were able to offer some support.
Tina’s situation has improved now. Her husband is back in work and they still receive support from Home Start, but the debt is still a major concern and the family still has some way to go before it’s back on track.
‘Lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexual’ and ‘heterosexual’ are better described as ‘sexual orientation towards people’, rather than ‘sexual attraction to’. This reflects the fact that people build committed, stable relationships and it is not purely a focus on sexual activity.
Everyone has a sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is a combination of emotional, romantic, sexual or affectionate attraction to another person.
In other words, it’s about who you are attracted to, fall in love with and want to live your life with.
For the purposes of this sexual orientation web page, we have looked at lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and heterosexual issues only, as the term transgender does not relate to sexual orientation but rather the gendered identity of an individual. For more information on transgender issues go to our page
Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation can take several forms – from blatant abusive behaviour (1 in 3 gay men and 1 in 4 lesbians have experienced violent attacks) to more subtle forms that may go unnoticed by many.
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a crime under current Scottish Law.
Some examples of discrimination include:
Refusing to employ someone because of their sexual orientation. A case recently heard how a gay man was ‘advised’ not to follow a career in paediatrics – based on the belief that gay men are a risk to vulnerable groups. This is at odds with all evidence, which clearly shows that sexual orientation does not influence the likelihood of carrying out sexual abuse or a sexual assault.
Refusing accommodation. A recent survey showed that 70% of people living in rural areas of Scotland supported the right to refuse holiday accommodation on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Following is a short film by the Equality & Human Rights Commission titled ‘What is sexual orientation discrimination?’.
Sexual Orientation and Other Protected Characteristics
Any sexual orientation other than heterosexual often receives negative responses from parts of our society and this can be made worse when combined with other equality issues.
Disabled lesbians and gay men face the same challenges experienced by many disabled people who live in poverty or on very low income. In addition, lack of money means that many disabled lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are excluded from the LGB social scene, often based in pubs and clubs, which can result in increased isolation. Even if money were not an issue, many venues would be inaccessible to some disabled people.
There may be tensions between sexual orientation and other protected characteristics. For instance, someone who identifies as being LGB but also belongs to a particular faith group may experience negative attitudes from other members of that faith group. It may be that some members of a faith group act in a way that might discriminate against LGB people. Recent high profile media coverage has centred on people with faith beliefs refusing to provide goods and services to LGB people in terms of holiday/leisure accommodation.
Why sexual orientation matters to Health
Examples of how sexual orientation can affect health include:
Research looking at mental health suggests gay men and lesbians report more psychological distress than heterosexuals. This can often be associated with a lifelong exposure to bullying and abuse. Surveys have shown extremely high percentages of young lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people reporting verbal and physical abuse. It has also been found that young LGB people are up to six times more likely to attempt suicide that heterosexual youth.
Drug use amongst gay men has been found to be significantly higher than for heterosexual men. Research suggests that drug use is in part due to low self-esteem, and also due to the attitudes of society towards this group.
Lesbians have specific health issues relating to fertility, pregnancy, sexual health and mental health. However, there is evidence that lesbians are afraid to tell their GP of their sexual orientation in case they experience discrimination.
Figures show that gay men and men who have sex with men are generally at higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS than heterosexual people. In 2006, 38% of all new cases of HIV/AIDS were found within this population group. Gay men and men who have sex with men are also at higher risk of contracting Ghonorrea, with 81% of all new cases diagnosed in 2006 found within this group.
How we are Addressing Sexual Orientation Issues
Routine Data Collection
NHSGGC wants to get better at understanding both its workforce and the people who use our services. We know that our sexual orientation can affect health. However, at the moment we do not routinely collect information on sexual orientation from the people who use our services. Without this, it is difficult to deliver services that meet everyone’s needs. We are therefore going to introduce the collection of routine information relating to sexual orientation and will support this with a Sexual Orientation E-Learning module for all staff.
LGBTQ+ Staff Forum
The NHSGGC LGBTQ+ Staff Forum is a group of staff members made up of those that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer inclusive (LGBTQ+) and our allies. The group aims to create a safe and welcoming space for staff members within our LGBTQ+ community though our social activities, programme of events, formal and informal meetings.
For more information about the group and how to join, visit our web page.
NHS Scotland Pride Badge
The NHS Scotland Pride Badge promotes inclusion for LGBTQ+ people and makes a statement that there’s no place for discrimination in NHS Scotland.
Over 9,200 of our NHSGGC staff have already made the Pride Pledge and are wearing the badge with pride.
A young lesbian woman was taken into hospital suffering from Leukemia. The treatment was lengthy and painful, both physically and mentally.
While in hospital, the young woman suffered homophobic bullying from another patient to the point where she felt it was difficult to have her partner visit her on the ward.
The nurses noticed how upset she was and that her partner was no longer visiting, so asked what was wrong. The young woman explained the situation and was immediately supported by staff, including the consultant in charge of her care, who challenged the other patient’s behaviour. They made it very clear that NHS services should be free of all types of discriminatory behaviour – including homophobia.
Discrimination with a focus on religious belief and religious difference is not a new phenomenon. For many years the West of Scotland has been characterised by sectarianism which continues today. Religious discrimination, and suspicion of religions, has come to the fore again due to a rise in Islamophobia – particularly after September 11th and the July 7 bombings in London.
In the past there was no specific protection against discrimination for most religious groups. There was, however, protection for people from Sikh and Jewish communities who were protected under the Race Relations Amendment Act as an ethnic group. Religion is often woven in with race and culture to form personal or group identity. Black/Minority ethnic communities, who can be on the outskirts of society, have often used religion to express and to sustain their identity.
There is now greater protection from religious discrimination through the Equality Act 2010. Religion & belief is a protected characteristic and everyone who is protected under law from discrimination, harassment or victimisation is afforded the same level of protection.
For some people, their religion is important to their health yet often the cultural and practical dimensions of religion are not assessed and taken account of when individuals attend for health care. This can be considered as a form of discrimination, can cause distress and as a result can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment. In the same way that other examples of equality categories often remain invisible to health care organisations and therefore in the way that services are planned, there is lack of data on patients for whom religion is significant to their wellbeing. In addition, strong views on any particular form of religion can lead to prejudice and discrimination against other beliefs – often referred to as sectarianism. This too can have an impact on the physical and psychological wellbeing of individuals.There can also be assumptions that everyone has a faith of some description despite of a large percentage of people who consider themselves to be atheist. Any assumptions about faith can lead to experience of discrimination.
Following is a short film by the Equality & Human Rights Commission titled ‘What is religion and belief discrimination?’.
Religion and Belief and Other Protected Characteristics
There may be examples of poor health resulting from the disharmony between some followers of religion and other equality groups. For example, people within the LGBT communities who practice or follow a religion may face additional health issues such as mental health problems or feel isolated, perhaps due to discrimination within their faith community.
Why religion and belief matters to Health
A person’s value system, sense of purpose and inner strength, whether resulting from religious or other sources, has been linked to how they respond to illness and treatment. Our approach in NHSGGC focuses on ‘spiritual care’ and ‘spiritual needs’ as outlined in the Spiritual Care Policy. This recognises that all people, whether religious or not, have spiritual needs that may or may not include aspects of formal religion or belief. People will gain comfort and strength to face illness from being allowed to practice their religion while in hospital.
Appropriate recognition of religious practices and preferences, and consideration of the patient’s spiritual needs, are particularly important in the care of the dying and in dealing with the deceased and their family after death. This also has a relevance to the care offered in our Maternity Units at a time of peri-natal or neo-natal death. Consideration of spiritual needs equally applies to people who have a non-religious stance.
Religion and Belief within a health care environment can also impact on
Gender and choice of staff;
Disclosure of sensitive information;
Attitudes towards illness and health practices;
Religious views may also affect the way in which health promotion messages are received and acted upon. Some religious practices, such as not drinking alcohol or vegetarianism, may have positive links to health. Others may affect whether or not certain medications can be taken due to animal/alcohol by-products.
How we are addressing religion and belief issues
NHSGGC has a multi-levelled response in tackling inequalities associated within religion and belief.
The organisation actively pursues the capture of religion / belief from its staff at recruitment stage as well during the course of employment (SWISS) to ensure that it doesn’t discriminate against one group of staff.
We have developed a Spiritual Care Policy outlining the nature of spiritual care, the provision of spiritual care facilities in our hospitals, training and education, the role of all staff in delivering spiritual care and the importance of consultation with faith and belief groups.
Healthcare Chaplaincy, as an NHS service, has a key role in responding to the spiritual and religious needs of staff, patients and visitors. Healthcare Chaplains function on a ‘generic basis’ whereby their service is for all people, regardless of faith or belief. They are a point of contact to draw in care and support from particular faith and belief groups.
The organisation provides training to staff at induction level and during the course of employment on equality and diversity which includes religious/ belief issues. Training on subjects such as Loss and Bereavement include reference to the needs of those from faith communities.
Our Equality Impact Assessment can identify whether services are actively addressing issues associated with religion and belief and put in place necessary actions.
The Catering Service provides Halal, Kosher and vegetarian meals upon request. Work is being undertaken to meet the needs of other religious groups.
People’s Experiences
Baldeep’s Story
Baldeep is a baptised Sikh and follows the practice of wearing the 5 ‘Ks’ – this includes wearing the Kirpan. The Kirpan is a very small sword. As is the custom, Baldeep wears hers under her clothing in a cloth sheath. For her, and for all baptised Sikhs, it is a symbol of the commitment she has made to follow the Sikh way of life and carries a deep spiritual significance. She will never remove it unless absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately, one day Baldeep felt very unwell and had to go the nearest Accident and Emergency Department. Whilst she removed clothing to be examined the nurse asked what it was that she was wearing. The nurse became alarmed that Baldeep was carrying what looked like a knife and refused Baldeep any further assistance until the Kirpan was removed. Baldeep explained that the Kirpan was a sacred item in her faith and she could not remove it; was it absolutely necessary to remove it in order to be examined? The nurse said that on health and safety grounds no patient should be carrying a weapon. Baldeep argued that if treatment was denied to her because she was wearing this sacred symbol, it was tantamount to religious discrimination.
The nurse seemed unsure about this and consulted her ward manager. The ward manager came to meet Baldeep and enquired more about her faith and the Kirpan. It was clear that treatment could not be denied as Baldeep was observing the requirements of her faith in the wearing of the Kirpan. This had to be respected. It was agreed that she could be examined whilst wearing it but if an x-ray or any other sort of scan was required it would have to be removed. Baldeep understood this and before going to the x-ray her Kirpan was removed, along with the Kara (the steel wristband) and held by the nurse during the procedure. Baldeep then replaced it accompanied by the saying of a prayer.
Comment and Background Information:
The wearing of the Kirpan is permitted by UK law as it is an intrinsic part of the Sikh faith and Sikh religious observance. It is generally not visible. Legislation makes it clear that a service cannot be denied to anyone on grounds of the religion or belief and the ward manager above was correct to see this. The discussion that took place leading to an agreed solution was also appropriate and correct.
Further information about the Sikh religion can be found in the resources identified in section 6 – Support and Resources.
