Audit of equalities publications

As the world’s biggest employer, the NHS can play a crucial role in eliminating discrimination and promoting equality. Equality of opportunity is key to the NHS’s drive to recruit and retain an increasingly diverse workforce suited to the challenges and demands of delivering modern healthcare.

We have examined how NHS organisations are addressing some of their statutory duties in relation to race and disability equality.

In spring 2006, we carried out an audit of trusts’ websites to see whether the information required by the specific duties of the Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended) had been published. We spent up to 30 minutes scanning every NHS trust’s website, looking for publication of a race equality scheme, statistics about each trust’s workforce and the results of race equality impact assessments. Although the audit was not a definitive test of compliance, as we examined trusts’ websites only, the findings suggested that many trusts were not meeting their statutory duties to publish this information. In response to these findings, we wrote to all NHS trusts in August 2006 urging them to ensure that they were meeting their statutory duties.

In spring 2007, we completed a second audit of NHS trusts. This year, the audit also looked at whether trusts had published information required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended).

Despite improvements on the previous year, the results from the 2007 web audit suggest that only 9% (35 out of 394) of NHS trusts are publishing everything they are required to under the Race Relations Act 1976. Last year, just seven trusts appeared to be fully compliant.

Trusts must also adhere to regulations under the Disability Discrimination Amendment Act 2005 requiring them to publish a disability equality scheme outlining how to promote disability equality. The audit suggests that just over 81% of trusts are doing so.

From the 2007/2008 assessment year, trusts failing to comply with the statutory publication requirements in respect of race and disability could face not meeting one of the Government’s core standards for healthcare (Standard C7e). This could affect their ratings in the annual health check.

The 2007 audit of equalities publications (pdf 88kb) (opens new window)

Press release: 22 November 2007 - Healthcare watchdog to review race equality in NHS trusts

The 2006 race equality audit (pdf 51kb) (opens new window)

The Healthcare Commission is committed to furthering equality, diversity and human rights and reducing inequalities in health. Information on our statement of intent and how we are promoting equality can be found here:

Equality, diversity and human rights

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