Equality and Diversity

Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment

1. What is the Purpose of Impact Assessment?
The aim of Impact Assessment is simply to avoid policies, strategies or re-organisational proposals being introduced, with the best of intentions, which discriminate against one or more of the groups listed at 2 below. Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment is a specific legal duty for public bodies, as well as being common sense and good practice.

2. What Does Equality and Diversity comprise?
The Equality Act 2010 defined the nine “protected characteristics” as:

  • Race
  • Disability
  • Sexual orientation
  • Religion or belief
  • Age
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Sex (male or female)

A person has legal protection against discrimination arising from one or more of these protected characteristics.

3. The Fairer Scotland Duty
This came into force in Scotland from 1st April 2018 and places a legal duty on Health Boards to consider how they can reduce inequalities of health outcomes caused by socio-economic disadvantage, when making strategic decision. A Rapid Impact Assessment Checklist process as explained below, but more usually a Full EQIA is the best way to fulfil this duty. Impact Assessments which include consideration of the Fairer Scotland Duty are often called "Health Inequalities Impact Assessments" or HIIA.

4. Do we have to Impact Assessment all polices and strategies?
No. Health Boards and other public bodies can carry out an initial screening of policies or strategies to see if they require to be Equality and Diversity Impact Assessed. Policies or strategies which are for example, purely technical and which have no bearing on the performance of their equality duty, do not require to be Equality and Diversity Impact Assessed.

5. What is our process?
At the early draft stage in the production or updating of a policy, strategy or re-organisational proposal that applies NHS Shetland-wide, it must be Impact Assessed, using the prescribed methodology. The Impact Assessment is carried out by staff who have received the appropriate training. There are two Impact Assessment processes:

  1. Rapid Impact Assessment Checklist (RIC)
    The vast majority of policies, strategies and re-organisational proposals can be Impact Assessed using the RIC process. This is the shortest and most "user friendly" Impact Assessment process. It takes on average two hours to complete, including the production of feedback.
  2. Full EQIA Impact Assessment (EQIA)
    The full Impact Assessment process, known as "Full EQIA", is required when major policies, strategies or re-organisational proposals have multi-faceted options, which have multi-faceted solutions. This process requires the gathering of a great deal of supporting detailed information and in some instances, the commissioning of additional research. It takes approximately 60 hours of work on average per draft policy, strategy or re-organisational proposal. The overall timescale is determined by the availability of the information required and the volume of material to be considered.

6. Training
Nigel Firth NHS Shetland Equality and Diversity Manager, trains the NHS Shetland Impact Assessors. He has undergone the approved Scottish Government two part Impact Assessment Training to Level Two. He trains Impact Assessors initially to Level One. When a person has been trained to Level One and has carried out 6-10 RIC Impact Assessments, they can then be trained up to Level Two, if required. The training comprises:

  1. Level One Impact Assessor Training (One Day Seminar)
    After basic instruction on the legal framework and the practical aspects of Impact Assessment, attendees work in groups to Impact Assess at least three and usually four policies. After each Impact Assessment, the policies are analysed and discussed.
  2. Level Two Full EQIA Training (One Day Seminar)
    After basic instruction on the techniques required and the practical aspects of EQIA, participants working in groups will complete one full EQIA, which will then be analysed. Two further policies/strategies will be planned out as if they are to be Impact Assessed, then analysed.

See TURAS for Training dates.

7. Other applications of the Impact Assessment methodology
The basic Impact Assessment methodology is flexible and with small adaptations, can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:

  1. Health Impact Assessment
    Using the same methodology, together with information on health needs assessment and projected benefits, the potential impact of different health strategies can be assessed. Fife and Lothian Health Boards developed this approach, it has been further developed by NHS Grampian and NHS Shetland.
  2. Budgetary Impact Assessment
    This approach enables the potential impact of different budgetary decisions to be assessed, so that any adverse effects can be minimised.

9. Who do I contact if I want to become an Impact Assessor?
Please contact shet.staffdevelopment@nhs.scot. Queries about the content or format can be made direct to Nigel Firth on 01224 552245 or by email at: Nigel.firth@nhs.scot

10. How is Impact Assessment compliance monitored?
Compliance is monitored by: the Equality and Human Rights Commission for Scotland, the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland; the Scottish Health Council and the Scottish Human Rights Commission. A number of Royal Colleges now require evidence of policies and strategies being Impact Assessed, when carrying out accreditation visits to a service.

By law, we must publish a list of our recent Impact Assessments on our website and make copies of any or all of the documentation available, upon request.