Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to ensuring that we are an understanding, kind and inclusive organisation where there is diversity amongst our people and they feel a strong sense of belonging and inclusion.

We have embedded our equality, diversity and inclusion strategic commitment within our People Strategy and are striving to continuously challenge ourselves to review our plans through an EDI lens to ensure that our strategic deliverables advance inclusion across our workforce.

Our overarching EDI aim is to create an inclusive and welcoming environment, where everyone feels a sense of belonging and the diversity of our staff is valued, supported and celebrated.

A copy of our EDI Strategic Commitment can be found in the documents section below.

The Trust is also required to ensure it upholds the provisions contained within related legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 along with its Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and therefore requires public bodies to:

• have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination.
• advance equality of opportunity.
• foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.

In addition to these general duties, there are specific duties which require public bodies to publish relevant, proportionate information showing compliance with the Equality Duty and to set equality objectives. These reports are accessible by clicking on the reports button below.

The Equality Act also defined a number of groups that have protected characteristics, as follows:

• Sex/Gender
• Age
• Disability
• Race
• Sexual Orientation
• Religion or belief
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Gender reassignment

The Trust developed a new strategy from 2018-22 that outlines its commitment to this agenda, with key objectives and priorities identified in order to achieve its vision, aims and legal obligations. A copy of the strategy can be found in the documents section below.

Awards / Accreditations

WUTH is proud to have achieved the following accreditations to show our support and commitment to various communities as patients, service users and employees. We are committed to ensuring we are an inclusive organisation that values and celebrates diversity and we are proud to have received the following accreditations:

• Navajo  Merseyside & Cheshire LGBTIQA+ Charter Mark (sponsored by In-Touch Merseyside and supported by the LGBTIQA+ Community networks across Merseyside) – The Trust was delighted to have received this prestigious accreditation for the first time in 2019 and and is proud to have been reaccredited in 2022 and more recently again in 2024. The Chartermark recognises the efforts that Wirral University Teaching Hospital have made in trying to improve services and support for our LGBTIQA+ staff, patients and wider community across Merseyside. Whilst it is acknowledged that there are still areas for improvement, the Chartermark recognised the Trust’s commitment to making improvements and the steps taken so far.  Click here for more details on the Navajo Chartermark.

• Disability Confident Employer - The Trust is proud to have progressed to level 2 of the Government’s disability confident scheme and are currently a Disability Confident Employer. The scheme looks to encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. A staff network is in place, with staff meeting regularly to provide support to each other and to look at identifying and progressing actions to ensure improvements for disabled staff and patients.

• Our Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group were awarded the National Unsung Heroes Award in 2020.

• Defence Employer Recognition Scheme – Silver Award -WUTH was delighted to achieve the Defence Employer Recognition Silver Award this year, in recognition of our support and commitment to our Armed Forces community. Click here to find out more about the scheme or get in touch with us to find out more.

• NHS Veteran Aware - The Trust is proud to have achieved the NHS Veteran Aware Status for the first time in 2023. WUTH is committed to supporting our armed forces community. Click here to find out more about the award and get in touch to find out more.

• NHS North West Anti-Racist Bronze Status - The Trust is proud to be one of the four first NHS Trusts in the North West to have achieved bronze status of the new anti-racist framework. Whilst we are proud to have received this in recognition of our support and commitment, we recognise that there is still much more to do and that this is the first step to ensuring we are an anti-racist organisation. Find out more about the framework and see our commitment to anti-racism.

Contacts

For more information on key areas of this agenda, please click on the relevant buttons or contact the following:

• A member of the Patient Experience Team on 0800 432 0251 or Wuth.patientexperience@nhs.net; or
• Wuth.workforceengagementandinclusion@nhs.net

Equality Delivery System 2

The equality delivery system (EDS2) is a tool available to all NHS organisations to enable them to assess and grade their equality performance and to respond to the requirements of the public sector equality duty, therefore the Trust uses this as a framework in advancing equality and diversity.

Annual reviews are conducted utilising this tool and details of the last assessment are contained within biannual update reports that can be found in the documents section below.