1 Details
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Care group or corporate services: | Corporate, emergency preparedness resilience and response (EPRR) |
| Name of service or title of policy or strategy, name of event: | All policies and plans owned and maintained by EPRR, the overarching document is the EPRR policy |
| Equality impact assessment undertaken by: | Katie Speed, EPRR manager |
| Type: | Policy |
| Date: | 19 March 2024 |
2 Questions
2.1 What are the main aims and purposes of the policy, service, or strategy or event
This an overarching policy describing how Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) will discharge its legal duties with regard to emergency planning resilience and response (EPRR). This EIA covers all EPRR plans and policies written in line with the EPRR policy, for example, major incident plan, major incident recovery plan, business continuity policy, heatwave plan, severe weather and winter plan, road fuel plan, pandemic influenza plan, manager’s on-call policy etc.
2.2 Who is involved in delivering the service, implementing the policy, strategy or organising the event
The policy is to be implemented by the trust EPRR manager who has the delegated authority as operational lead for EPRR matters. The trust accountable emergency officer (AEO), at time of writing, the chief operating officer has overall responsibility and authority for EPRR matters. The EPRR policy provides the strategy within which all other EPRR plans and policies are written.
Some plans include other health system partners and, or Local resilience forum organisations such as local authorities, emergency services, utility companies etc.
2.3 What information, data or experience can you draw on to provide an indication of the potential inclusive or exclusive results of delivering this service or event or implementing the policy or strategy
The implementation of this policy will ensure that all EPRR plans and policies take into account different groups needs of people with protected characteristics. Consultation with different teams has identified several examples as follows:
Consultation with different teams highlighted the need to ensure that effective communication with staff and patients takes into account persons ability to understand written instructions and the necessity in some cases to communicate verbally.
Consideration of vulnerable age groups when planning for different risks, for example, pandemic flu planning.
Consideration of patients and staff with sensory or mobility impairment, for example, evacuation planning.
| Protected characteristics | Impact | Evidence for impact |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Positive | Policy identifies children and older people (65 and over) as potentially vulnerable groups and ensures they are considered where relevant in all plans and policies |
| Disability | Positive | Policy identifies vulnerable groups such as those with mobility or sensory impairment and ensures they are considered in all plans and policies |
| Gender reassignment | Positive | Policy benefits all regardless of gender reassignment |
| Marriage and civil partnership | Positive | Policy benefits all regardless of marriage or civil partnership status |
| Pregnancy and maternity | Positive | Policy identifies vulnerable groups such as children and those with children and ensures they are considered in all plans and policies |
| Race | Positive | Policy benefits all regardless of race |
| Religion or belief | Positive | Policy will ensure plans identify where religion or belief may affect EPRR plans and policies |
| Sex | Positive | Policy benefits all regardless of sex |
| Sexual orientation | Positive | Policy benefits all regardless of sexual orientation |
| Disadvantaged groups | Positive | Policy will identify vulnerable groups, for example, homeless, low income groups and substance misuse groups and local income groups to ensure they are considered in all EPRR plans and policies |
2.4 What positive impacts are there for this policy, service, strategy or event to better meet the needs of people with protected characteristics
This policy provides updated guidance to ensure all EPRR related plans and policies take into account differing needs of patients and staff to ensure all plans are as inclusive as possible. This will ensure that in an emergency situation, everyone’s needs will be taken into account and wherever there are any reasonable adjustments to be made they are included in plans, checklists etc.
2.5 What action would be needed to ensure the policy, service, or strategy or event overcomes
- Discriminatory negative impacts
- Exclusion.
Failure to meet the needs of people from across the protected characteristics and opportunities for promoting equality and inclusion are maximised.
All EPRR policies and plans will be fully inclusive of all peoples needs and each plan will be tailored specifically to meet the needs of those with protected characteristics.
During planning and responses to business continuity, critical and major incidents, messages will be communicated to managers to ensure staff and patients with access issues or reasonable adjustments are made aware of updates and communicated appropriately.
2.6 Recommended steps to avoid discrimination and ensure opportunities for promoting equality and inclusion are maximised
| Impact identified | Lead responsible for overseeing actions | Timescales |
|---|---|---|
| Communications team to include reminder in their advice and communications to instruct managers to ensure staff with access issues are made aware of updates | Katie Speed | Effective immediately |
2.7 Is further work or consultation required?
No there is no further work or consultation required.
3 Authorisation
This equality impact assessment will need to be reviewed in line with any changes made to the policy, service, strategy, or event.
| Detail | Lead details |
|---|---|
| Name: | Katie Speed |
| Designation: | EPRR manager |
| Signature: | Katie Speed |
| Date: | 19 March 2024 |
Page last reviewed: September 23, 2024
Next review due: September 23, 2025
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