The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
Equality and Disability Action Plans 2018-2023
Consultation Document
October 2017
Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)
We will consider any request for this document in another format or language.
Please contact us at:
9th Floor Riverside Tower
5 Lanyon Place
Belfast
BT1 3BT
02890517500
Instructions
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Contents
The contents, in order, are as follows:
What is in this document?
Introduction: Page 4
Who we are and what we do: Page 4
How people can be involved in our work: Page 5
What the law says: Page 5
How we reviewed our last plans and developed these new plans: Page 6
What have we done so far: Page 8
What we have learned so far: Page 9
What is in the new plans: Page 10
How we will monitor: Page 10
Action Plans: Page 12
++As Professor Mary McColgan, Interim Chair and Olive Macleod, Chief Executive of RQIA we are committed to promoting equality and good relations. For people with a disability, we recognise that we have to do more to promote positive attitudes and to encourage their participation in public life.
We want to make sure we do this in a way that makes a difference to people. We will put in place what is necessary to do so. This includes people, time and money. Where it is right to do so, we will include actions from these plans in the annual business plans we develop for the organisation as a whole.
We will also put everything in place in RQIA to make sure we comply with legislation. This includes making one person responsible overall for making sure we do what we say we are going to do in our Equality and Disability Action Plans.
We let our staff know about what is in our plans and we will also train our staff to help them understand what they need to do.
The person in our organisation who is responsible for making sure that we do what we have promised to do is Maurice Atkinson, Director of Corporate Services. If you have any questions you can contact him at:
9th Floor Riverside Tower
5 Lanyon Place
Belfast
BT1 3BT
Telephone: 028 9051 7500 for text relay prefix with 18001
++The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is part of health and social care in Northern Ireland.
RQIA is the independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland, and encouraging improvements in the quality of those services.
We do things like:
Registration and Inspection:
Mental Health and Learning Disability:
Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations:
Reviews:
Public Participation:
Corporate Services:
How people can be involved in our work
++There are a number of ways in which people can be involved in the work of the RQIA, including:
++RQIA has to follow the law under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. It says that in our work we have to promote equality and good relations. We have to treat people fairly and based on their needs and to make things better for staff and people who use our services. It also says that we have to build better relationships between different groups of people.
There are nine different equality groups that the law requires us to look at:
There are three good relations groups we need to consider:
We also have to follow the law under the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, which says that we have to:
This includes people with any type of disability, whether for example, physical disabilities; sensory disabilities; autism; learning disabilities; mental health conditions; or conditions that are long-term. Some of these disabilities may be hidden, others may be visible.
Both pieces of legislation require us to develop an action plan: an Equality Action Plan and a Disability Action Plan. We have to send our plans to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and then report every year on what we have achieved.
How we reviewed our last plans and developed our new plans
++We reviewed what we have done so far to promote equality and good relations, to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and to encourage their participation in public life.
The Equality Forum in our organisation, with representation from each Directorate, thought through the following questions:
For the new plans, we considered two questions:
We looked at a range of sources of information such as:
We also learned from what we heard when we:
We also read up on what the Equality Commission says would be good to do. All this helped us think about what else we could do to make a difference.
We think it is important to involve people from different groups in developing our plans. This is why we will set up meetings as part of this consultation. This will include speaking to our staff, especially the two networks we have in place: Tapestry - our disability staff network, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Staff Forum for the whole of Health and Social Care.
++This is some of what we have done to promote equality:
This is some of what we have done to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and encourage the participation of disabled people in public life:
Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people:
Encourage the participation of disabled people in public life:
++Monitoring
Even with proactive encouragement, our staff seem reluctant to declare their disability. We will need to keep working on this, including trying to find out why staff do not declare their disability. We will work closely with our disability staff network on this.
Placements
We evaluated our placement scheme each year and made changes for next year's scheme to improve the experience for participants. We will carry this learning into our new plan. Managers and staff who have been involved in the scheme to date have told us that they have gained a better understanding of disabilities through working side by side a person who has a disability. Many have been impressed by the attitude and performance of the individual we had on placement.
Awareness Days
We have found that attendance at awareness events is greatest when the subject is most relevant to staff. This can be because they have the condition themselves or they know or work with someone who has the condition. We will continue to ask staff which areas relating to disability they would like more information on.
Training
We have found that our e-learning training on Disability is a really useful resource to train our large numbers of staff. Sometimes we need to run specific training courses, for example on autism awareness or deaf awareness if a need is identified. We will continue to take a combination of e-learning and classroom based training approach. People have told us that they take away alot from sessions that are delivered by people with a disability themselves.
++There are two separate tables later in this document. The first table lists all the actions that we will do to promote equality and good relations. This is our Equality Action Plan.
The second table describes what we will do to promote positive attitudes towards people with a disability and to encourage their participation in public life. This is our Disability Action Plan. In both plans we also say what difference we intend to make and when we will do these actions.
++Every year we write up what we have done. We also explain when we haven't done something. We send this report to the Equality Commission. We also publish this report on our website: https://www.rqia.org.uk/
We have a look at the plans every year to see whether we need to make any changes to them. If we need to, we write those changes into the plans. Before we make any big changes we talk to people in the equality groupings to see what they think.
When we finish an action, we take it off the plans for the next year to keep our plans up to date. They will show what we still have to do.
After five years we will look at our plans again to see how we have done. We will also see what else we could do.
When we develop or look at our plans we will invite people who have a disability to help us.
The plans are also available on our website: https://www.rqia.org.uk/
We send our plans to all organisations and individuals on our consultation list when we have finalised them and also when we have made major changes to them.
To find out whether what we do makes a difference, we will do a number of things, for example:
You can find further information on how we will monitor each action in the plans themselves.
Equality Action Plan 2018-2023: What we will do to promote equality and good relations
++[The following is a table, the text has been lifted for your reference.]
Action Point: Carers
1. Promote information for staff who are carers on available policies and measures that might meet their needs; including sign-posting to relevant support organisations.
Intended Outcome: Staff who are carers feel more supported in the workplace and aware of options available to them
Performance Indicator and Target: Sickness absence of carers reduced
Retention of staff who are carers
By Whom/When: BSO HR with support by Equality Unit
2018/19
Action Point: Gender Identity
2. Deliver awareness and training initiatives to relevant staff as part of the roll-out of the Gender Identity and Expression Employment Policy
Intended Outcome: Staff who identify as transgender and non-binary feel more supported in the workplace
Performance Indicator and Target: 100% of relevant staff have been trained
By Whom/When: BSO HR with support by Equality Unit
March 2020
Action Point: Training
3. Making a Difference - e-learning
Intended Outcome: Increased staff awareness of equality and human rights.
Performance Indicator and Target: Making a Difference e-learning included in mandatory training for staff
100% of staff have completed the e-learning module
By Whom/When: BSO HR with support by Equality Unit
Q4 2018/19
Annually
Action Point: Domestic Violence
4. Undertake awareness raising relating to new support mechanisms (developed by BSO) to support staff with experience of domestic violence
Intended Outcome: Staff with experience-of domestic violence are better supported
Performance Indicator and Target: Awareness raising undertaken with 100% of staff
By Whom/When: BSO HR with support by Equality Unit
March 2020
Action Point: Inspection
5. Review and equality screen Guidance relating to Inspection of Domiciliary Care Agencies.
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2018-19
Action Point:
6. Review and equality screen Guidance relating to Inspection of Nursing and Adult Residential Care Homes
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2019-20
Action Point: 7. Review and equality screen Guidance relating to Inspection of Independent Health Care.
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2020-21
Action Point: 8. Review and equality screen Guidance relating to Inspection of Day Care Settings and Adult Placement Agencies.
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2020-21
Action Point: 9. Review and equality screen Guidance relating to Inspection of Children's Services.
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2019-20
Action Point: 10. Review and equality screen Guidance relating to Inspection of Mental Health and Learning Disability Wards.
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2018-19
Action Point: 11. Review and equality screen the Audit Tool relating to Inspection of Acute Hospitals.
Intended Outcome: S75 has been considered in the Inspection process, resulting in improved outcomes for service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Screening Templates and Revised Guidance published
By Whom/When: 2019-20
Action Point: 12. As actions 5 - 11 are completed, roll out training on revised guidance/audit tools to inspectors.
Intended Outcome: Improved outcomes for health and social care service users.
Performance Indicator and Target: Training reports and evaluations.
By Whom/When: 2018-19 and ongoing
Action Point: 13. Accessible Information and Communications - ensure checks for accessibility of information are built into all inspection procedures/provider guidance/audit tools in accordance with:
Intended Outcome: Better access to information for service users
Performance Indicator and Target: Evidence of checks in inspection reports through the process of audit
By Whom/When: 2018-19 and ongoing
Action Point: Engagement
14. RQIA will collaborate with NIGALA and PCC to explore ways to improve feedback from children and young people about the quality of services they receive. NIGALA will develop a website to facilitate this with links to PCC and RQIA information.
Intended Outcome: Improved engagement with children and young people.
Performance Indicator and Target: Website operational and collation of feedback from children and young people about the quality of services they receive.
By Whom/When: 2018-19 and ongoing
Action Point: 15. Ensure that all our public engagement events include consideration of S75 in the organising of the events and in the information/questions asked at the events as appropriate.
Intended Outcome: Engagement events are more inclusive.
Performance Indicator and Target: Evaluation of events indicates that needs have been met.
By Whom/When: 2018-19 and ongoing
Action Point: Lay Assessors Appointment
16. In the appointment of new lay assessors
Intended Outcome: People with disabilities are more involved in public life.
Performance Indicator and Target: Numbers of additional lay assessors with a disability.
By Whom/When: 2018-19 and ongoing
[End of table.]
Disability Action Plan 2018-2023: What we will do to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and encourage the participation of disabled people in public life
++[The following is a table, the text has been lifted for your reference.]
Action Point: Awareness Days
1. Raise awareness of specific barriers faced by people with disabilities including through linking in with National Awareness Days or Weeks (such as Mind your Health Day)
Intended Outcome: Increased staff awareness of the range of disabilities and needs
Performance Indicator and Target: Two annual awareness days profiled
>50% of staff participating in the evaluation indicate that they know more about people living with disabilities as a result of the awareness days
By Whom/When: RQIA
Annually
Action Point: Placement Scheme
2. Create and promote meaningful placement opportunities for people with disabilities in line with good practice and making use of voluntary expertise in this area.
Intended Outcome: People with a disability gain meaningful work experience
Performance Indicator and Target: 1 placement offered per year.
Feedback indicates that placement meets expectations
By Whom/When: RQIA with support by BSO Equality Unit
Annually
Action Point: Tapestry
3. Promote and encourage staff to participate in the disability staff network and support the network in the delivery of its action plan.
Intended Outcome: Staff with a disability feel more confident that their voice is heard in decision-making.
Staff with a disability feel better supported.
Performance Indicator and Target: Tapestry meeting notes indicate that actions to support staff have been delivered
Host tapestry meetings
By Whom/When: RQIA
Annually
Action Point: Monitoring
4. Encourage staff to declare that they have a disability or care for a person with a disability through awareness raising and providing guidance to staff on the importance of monitoring. Prompt staff to keep up to date their personal equality monitoring records (via self-service on new Human Resources IT system)
Intended Outcome: More accurate data in place.
Greater number of staff feel comfortable declaring they have a disability.
Performance Indicator and Target: Increase in completion of disability monitoring information by staff to 90%
Prompt issued to staff on a regular basis.
By Whom/When: BSO HR with support by Equality Unit
Annually
Action Point: Training
5. In collaboration with disabled people design, deliver and evaluate training for staff and Board Members on disability equality and disability legislation.
Intended Outcome: Increased staff and Board Member awareness of the range of disabilities and needs.
Performance Indicator and Target: All staff trained (general and bespoke) within 2 years through eLearning or interactive sessions and staff awareness initiatives delivered
Training evaluation forms
By Whom/When: RQIA
2018-19 and ongoing
Action Point: 6. Sign up to Mental Health Charter and Every Customer Counts
Intended Outcome: Staff with mental health conditions feel better supported in the workplace
Performance Indicator and Target: Absence figures reduced
Increase in numbers of staff who declare that they have a mental health condition
Buddies have been identified
By Whom/When: BSO HR with support by Equality Unit
2019-20
[End of table.]
Signed by:
Chair
Date:
Chief Executive
Date:
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
9th Floor Riverside Tower
5 Lanyon Place
Belfast
BT1 3BT
02890517500
[End.]