Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust Disability Equality: The Story So Far………….. Jill Evans Diversity Manager

Themes Share our experience of developing a Disability Advisory Group within the Trust What worked What didn’t Where we are now

Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust Over 13,000 staff 6,000 nurses 1000 doctors including 240 Consultants Serving a community of 600,000 Across 5 County Boroughs

Christopher Columbus Syndrome When he set off he didn’t know where he was going When he arrived he wasn’t sure where he was When he got back he wasn’t sure where he had been!

Charting the journey Equal Opportunities Committee set up in 2000 Recognition that stronger representation of a number of equality strands was required In 2001 the Disability Action Group was formed as a a subgroup of the Equal Opportunity Committee

Recruitment to the Group Four workshops held to engage staff members who had a disability or an interest in disability issues To identify: –Good practice –Barriers to inclusion and poor practice –Priorities for the Group

What’s in a name? ‘ Disability Action Group’ gave the impression that it was an ‘external’ Pressure Group, rather than an integral part of Trust business Name changed to Disability Advisory Group

Working Practices Membership - Who? - Who does what? Working Groups -Policy -Training -Access -Staff wellbeing

Ongoing Challenges Making best use of limited resources Recognising and valuing the experience of group members Keeping the profile of disability issues and the work of the Group high Maintaining momentum

Success Robust disability policy Flexible working policy Needs of carers explicit in Special Leave policy Equality issues mainstreamed in to relevant existing training programmes, plus availability of specific disability equality programme

Where are we now? Using the ‘driver’ of the Disability Equality Duty to focus more on service delivery issues Mindful of guidance from the DRC but not just ‘waiting’ - Involving people and taking a proactive approach to moving things forward Looking forward to a positive experience and outcomes

Contact Jill Evans, Diversity Manager, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust