Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our Partnership is committed to building a workforce which is valued and whose diversity reflects all communities from which it serves. Evidence shows that a diverse and inclusive workforce has a positive impact on not only staff but also on patient experience and outcomes.
If you have a disability, long term condition or are neurodiverse, we have a Staff Disability Network, which is run for staff by staff. It’s a safe place that offers support, advice and can help you navigate the workplace, so that you can come to work with the things in place you need to have a great day at work. We also offer a staff adult special educational needs services that can help with everything from dyslexia through to ADHD support in the workplace.

Health and Wellbeing

Our Partnership wants our staff to feel well supported in their roles, so we offer a wide variety of health and wellbeing activities, including support for both your mental and physical health. As well as direct support from your clinical manager, our UP! Health and Wellbeing Programme information is accessible via our Partnership intranet (Bridget). We have an Occupational Health Team, which you can self-refer to for support on our Partnership also offers specific mental and emotional wellbeing services including in-house staff support clinical psychologists, counsellors and personal coaches.

For staff who need extra support when dealing with tough situations we have a Trauma Risk Incident Management (TRiM) Service, which confidentially supports staff individually or in groups through structured peer support. This ensures that we support you early, and the service is designed to help you to understand your responses and find ways, if needed, to get support in a timely manner. We also have a pastoral/chaplaincy team who can visit staff in their place of work or meet with teams and individuals to support on the day to day challenges or when things get really difficult. They are available across both sites and also directly support our 24/7 staff support hotline.

Health and Safety

In addition to the Group’s overall responsibility for your health and safety you have a personal responsibility for your own health and safety. As such you are required to inform your line manager of any safety issues that you identify, that could affect you or others in the workplace. You must co-operate with management and colleagues at all times in achieving safer work processes and work places, particularly where it can impact on others.

As a Partnership employee you will be trained in the correct use of any equipment provided to improve safety and health within our Partnership. You are required to use the equipment when necessary and as instructed which will include checking the equipment is safe to use, prior to its use and must report any defects immediately to your line manager.

You are responsible for the implementation and adherence to Partnership safety policies and procedures for areas within your remit. You are required to ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are completed for all areas within your remit. The controls identified must be evaluated and implemented where necessary. You are required to review all risk assessments periodically and particularly when staffing and/or equipment changes, monitoring the effectiveness of any control measure implemented. You are to ensure suitable and sufficient equipment is provided to sustain the health and safety of staff, patients and visitors to areas within your remit.

Infection Control

In addition to the Partnership’s overall responsibilities under The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for healthcare, including primary and adult social care on the prevention and control of infections (revised December 2010) for your safety, you have a personal responsibility to ensure your work adheres to this Code in the delivery of safe patient care within the organisation. This code relates to ALL Partnership staff and contractors working within the organisation who are employed to ensure this level of care is provided.

As an employee you will be trained to ensure adherence and compliance to the various Infection Control policies within the Partnership.

Sustainability

To actively support our Partnership’s goals for sustainability by encouraging and adopting sustainable ideas and practices.

Safeguarding

Our Partnership has a duty and is committed to safeguarding all service users and provide additional measures for adults and children who are less able to protect themselves from harm or abuse. As an employee* you have an individual responsibility to contribute to the detection, reporting and prevention of abuse to safeguard those in our care (Section 11 Children Act, 2004, Human rights Act 1998, Equality Act 2010 Mental Capacity Act 2005 Care Act 2014) and are accountable to ensure that you know how to respond when you are concerned for the safety of a child, young person or adult at risk. Our Partnership will assist you in this process by providing training, guidance and advice. There are corporate safeguarding teams who can be contacted for advice, support and safeguarding supervision. All concerns must be reported as per Partnership Safeguarding Policies which are available on our Partnership Intranet. Every member of staff must undertake regular mandatory safeguarding training at a level relevant to the role.