Equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB is committed to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
• Foster good relations between different groups

2010 Equality Act – Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.

Click here to find out more information about the Equality Act

The Equality Act’s Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) applies to Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) and other public bodies who carry out public functions. It supports good decision-making by ensuring public bodies consider how different people will be affected by their activities, helping them to deliver policies and services which are efficient and effective; accessible to all; and which meet different people’s needs.

The PSED requires the ICB to have due regard (consideration)when developing its policies, services or when carrying out day to day functions and activities:

• to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t
• foster good relations for people between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t

The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act’s PSED are: Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination), Pregnancy and Maternity, Race – this includes ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality, Religion or Belief – this includes lack of belief, Sex and Sexual orientation.

Specific Duties

The PSED is supported by specific duties, which require public bodies to publish relevant, proportionate information demonstrating their compliance with the PSED; and to set themselves specific, measurable equality objectives. Publishing relevant equality information will make public bodies transparent about their decision-making processes, and accountable to their service users. It will give the public the information they need to hold public bodies to account for their performance on equality.

The specific duties require public bodies to:

• publish information to show their compliance with the Equality Duty, at least annually; and
• set and publish equality objectives, at least every four years.

The information published must include:

• information relating to employees who share protected characteristics (for public bodies with 150 or more employees); and
• information relating to people who are affected by the ICB policies and practices who share protected characteristics (for example, service users).

1. Our Public Sector Equality Duty Annual Report provides information on the ICB’s annual activity in relation to Equality Diversity and Inclusion
2. Information against our Equality Objectives is documented throughout several EDI documents and publications
3. Information on our workforce is available through our annual Workforce Diversity Profile Report
4. Gender Pay Gap Reporting is included in the Public Sector Equality Duty Annual Report.

Other statutory, mandatory, or voluntary Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) information and publications