Mary Harney TD, Tainaiste and Minister for Health and Children, today launched ‘Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2004 and Provision of Health Services’. This is a joint initiative of the Equality Authority, the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive. The publication reflects a shared commitment to equality and the further development of equality competence in the provision of health services.
In launching the publication the Tainaiste emphasised that “providing a quality health service implies that we take into account the needs of our increasingly diverse population and that we adapt our services to meet those needs in a people centred way. The fact that the Department of Health and Children, the Health Service Executive and the Equality Authority have come together to sponsor this pamphlet shows our joint commitment to deal with the challenges involved”.
‘Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2004 and Provision of Health Services’ provides accessible information on the Acts to support an effective gearing up by organisations to meet their responsibilities under the Acts. The publication provides guidance on the systems and practices that can be put in place by organisation to further develop equality competent health service organisations.
Speaking at the launch Niall Crowley, Chief Executive Officer of the Equality Authority highlighted that “equality competent health service organisations deliver services that are free from discrimination, sexual harassment and harassment, and victimisation, that make adjustments to address the practical implications of the diversity of their clients and that proactively promote equality for clients from across the nine grounds covered by the equality legislation”. He praised the health sector for demonstrating “a leadership for equality in a context where high levels of casework under the Equal Status Acts suggest the need for organisations to gear up more effectively to their responsibilities in this area. This is a particular challenge to the wider public sector which accounted for nearly 25% of the Equality Authority casefiles under the Equal status Acts during 2004”.
Equality competence is defined in terms of an organisation being planned and systematic in the approach to equality and in terms of an organisation taking equality into account in decision making.
A planned and systematic approach to equality requires that organisations:-
- Have an equality policy setting out their commitment to equality.
- Provide equality and diversity training to build skills and awareness of all staff in this area.
- Implement an equality action plan based on a review of their policies, procedures and practices for their impact on equality.
- Assign responsibility for promoting equality to a senior manager.
Taking equality into account in decision making requires that organisations;-
- Assess new policies and plans for their impact on equality.
- Allow a participation in preparing new policies and plans by groups that experience inequality
- Gather and analyse data in relation to people from across the nine grounds to ensure decision making is evidence based.
Patrick Lynch, Head of Equality and Diversity in the Population Health Directorate of the Health Service Executive, welcomed the new publication stating “tackling health inequalities is one of the principal objectives of the Health Service Executive and over recent years, a series of initiatives have been taken to promote and ensure equality in health care. The first Corporate Plan of the Health Service Executive explicitly sets out the Health Service Executive commitment to equality. This new publication will be an important resource to managers and all staff through the Health Services in implementing this commitment. The Health Service Executive looks forward to working with the Equality Authority to make this goal of equality a reality”.
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