NHS Equality Delivery System
The Equality Delivery System (EDS) for the NHS was launched in November 2011. The EDS is about making sure that everyone is treated in a good and fair way and making sure that everyone has a say.
The EDS has been designed by the NHS to support the delivery of a service that is personal, fair and diverse. It will support NHS organisations to drive up equality performance and embed equality into mainstream NHS business. It will help the NHS to ensure staff from all backgrounds can thrive, develop and deliver the best care possible. It will make the NHS more accountable to all the communities it serves, and give local people a greater say in how the NHS is run. The EDS, initiated by the NHS Equality and Diversity Council.
The EDS will support hospitals, clinics and other key health services to think about the individual needs of patients and staff. For example, by using the EDS, NHS organisations will be able to:
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prioritise better access to screening and other health services for disabled men and women
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provide better primary care experiences for people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds
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ensure that everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation or religious beliefs are, can talk in confidence to clinicians about their identity
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make sensible adjustments in the workplace for staff who need support in caring for younger and older dependents.
Involve Yorkshire & Humber is working with NHS Yorkshire & the Humber to ensure that the voluntary and community sector is engaged with the implementation of the Equality Delivery System.
