What is the Equality Delivery System?
The EDS is designed to support NHS commissioners and providers to deliver better outcomes for patients and communities and better working environments for staff, which are personal, fair and diverse. The EDS is all about making positive differences to healthy living and working lives.
The EDS is a tool for both current and emerging NHS organisations – in partnership with patients, the public, staff and staff-side organisations - to use to review their equality performance and to identify future priorities and actions. It offers local and national reporting and accountability mechanisms.
At the heart of the EDS is a set of 18 outcomes grouped into four goals. These outcomes focus on the issues of most concern to patients, carers, communities, NHS staff and Boards. It is against these outcomes that performance is analysed, graded and action determined.
The four EDS goals are:
- Better health outcomes for all
- Improved patient access and experience
- Empowered, engaged and included staff
- Inclusive leadership at all levels
The grades are as follows:
- Excelling – Purple
- Achieving - Green
- Developing – Amber
- Undeveloped – Red
Over the next few months NHS organisations across Cumbria will be engaging with local people and their staff to enable them to grade their NHS Trusts against the 18 outcomes.
There are links to 2 surveys a public / patient survey and a protected groups survey (those who consider themselves to be covered by one of the 9 protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act). These surveys will be open until mid March and will go towards providing evidence for assessing how NHS Organisations in Cumbria are performing against EDS goals and outcomes.
If you would like to get involved or would like more information please contact:
Christine Harrison, Locality Public Engagement Lead, NHS Cumbria on: 01900 324244 or email christine.harrison@cumbriapct.nhs.uk