Equality and Diversity
We all use the NHS, whether going to see the GP or a nurse, getting advice from a pharmacist or seeing a dentist. To make sure everyone is able to get the best out of NHS services we need to understand who our patients are and what their individual needs are so when they need to access treatment they get the right care and have the best possible experience.
We know that health inequalities exist in Calderdale and that some patients have different access, experience and outcomes when they use the NHS. We want to reduce those differences and remove them entirely where possible.
Our approach to equality and diversity is outlined in our equality and inclusion strategy.
If you require any further information, please contact calccg.equalityckw@nhs.net
Information on the CCG’s approach to Equality and Diversity can be found below:
The patient population of Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is more than 213,000 and is rising, the largest growth is expected to occur in the older age groups, with a 29% increase in those aged 85 and over by 2024, an 11% increase in those aged 65 to 74 and a 42% increase in those aged 75 to 84. There is also expected to be a 7.6% increase in children aged 0-15.
The largest ethnic group in Calderdale is White British (86.7%), as recorded in the national Census 2011. The second largest ethnic group is Asian / Asian British (8.3%) of which the majority (6.8%) are Pakistan.
The majority of the population (60.6%) are Christian and 7.8% of the population are Muslim. Nearly a third of the population (30.2%) stated they had no religion.
The health of people in the area is varied compared with the England average. About 20% (8,200) of children live in low income families. Life expectancy for both men and women is lower than the England average.
Life expectancy is 9.0 years lower for men and 10.2 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Calderdale than in the least deprived areas.
Relative overall deprivation has increased in recent years when compared with other authorities in England. In the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2010 Calderdale was ranked 105th out of 326 local authority districts compared with a rank of 89 in IMD 2015 (a lower rank denotes a higher deprivation)
There are around 28,200 residents living in neighbourhoods ranked by IMD 2015 as being within the 10% most deprived in England. This includes 7,000 children aged 0-15 years old and 4,500 older people aged 60 years old and over.
For more information on the local population, inequalities and health please visit:
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
The Equality Act 2010 protects people against discrimination, harassment and victimisation in relation to housing, education, clubs, the provision of services and work. It unifies and extends previous equality legislation.
Equality is a legal principle to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity to people and groups.
- Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- Advance equality of opportunity
- Foster good relations.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is made up of a general duty and specific duties. The general duty forms the main part of the legislation, and is supported by specific duties which support public bodies to demonstrate performance and compliance.
The public sector equality duty is described in Section 149 of the Equality Act and requires public bodies, including CCGs, to pay due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
The Act explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:
- Removing or minimising disadvantage associated with a protected characteristic;
- Taking steps to meet the needs of individuals who share a protected characteristic (where these are different from others); and
- Encouraging persons who share a protected characteristic to participate in public life or in any other activity where participation by that group of people is disproportionately low.
Protected characteristics are defined as:
- Age
- Disability
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
Under the specific duties of the PSED we are required to:
- Publish information to demonstrate compliance with the general duty annually, including data on those with a protected characteristic who are affected by our policies and practices
- Publish one or more equality objectives covering a four-year period
To evidence ‘due regard’ as required by the Equality Act 2010 and to be sure that the decisions we take make a real, positive difference to the lives of people in Calderdale, where a decision is being made about a potential change to a service, policy or activity an equality impact assessment (EIA) will be completed. We have developed an integrated impact assessment process which includes quality, equality and privacy, amongst others, to ensure that these are considered within CCG commissioning processes.
For more information please see the NHS Calderdale CCG Public Sector Equality Duty Report 2020:
Public Sector Equality Duty Report 2022 218.84 KB 780 downloads
This report provides an overview of the equality work undertaken by the Clinical…The Equality Delivery System (EDS2) is a toolkit designed by the Department of Health to help NHS organisations to improve the services they provide for their local communities, consider health inequalities in their locality and provide better working environments that are free of discrimination.
The EDS has four goals, with 18 specific outcomes. NHS organisations need to listen to and engage with patients, carers, voluntary organisations and people who work in the NHS in order to grade their equality performance, identify where improvements can be made and act on their findings. The EDS goals are:
- Better health outcomes for all
- Improved patient access and experience
- Empowered, engaged and included workforce
- Inclusive leadership at all levels
They are rated on a scale as follows:
- Purple – excelling
- Green – achieving
- Amber – developing
- Red – undeveloped
NHS Calderdale CCGs EDS2 report can be downloaded here:
Calderdale CCG EDS2 (Equality Delivery System) Report 1.60 MB 108 downloads
The Equality Delivery System (EDS2) for the NHS is a tool designed to help NHS organisations,…For further information please see the NHS England website
Our Equality Health Panel was set up in 2017. It provides an opportunity for protected groups and their representatives to share views, information and feedback with the CCG and local provider organisations, and to promote equality in the Calderdale healthcare system. The group’s terms of reference can be downloaded using the link below.
Calderdale Equality Health Panel Terms of Reference 87.23 KB 158 downloads
The purpose of the Calderdale Equality Health Panel is to improve the access, experience…The panel ensures that the voices of people with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 and other disadvantaged groups are represented in discussions about the planning, delivery and improvement of local healthcare services.
The panel meets quarterly. Examples of its work include supporting the CCG and provider organisations to complete the Equality Delivery System grading process, and assisting the CCG to develop its equality objectives.
Please note, the Equality Health Panel is currently under review. The website will be updated when a decision has been made about the future of the Panel.
Calderdale Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) 2021
The WRES report is produced annually to describe the experiences and outcomes of our Black, Asian and minority ethnic workforce and potential staff. The WRES does not consider any staff in the white group on ESR.
CCGs have been reporting on the WRES since 2015. The CCG has also completed Workforce Disability Equality Standard reporting on the experience of disabled staff since 2020.
An executive lead now ensures delivery on the broad workforce equality agenda, recognising that WRES forms only part of the work we do to ensure that the CCG is an employer of choice and supports its diverse staff to be their best and to have opportunities to develop.
Over the past year we have been delivering the 2020 / 21 action plan, though progress has slowed in some areas due to the pandemic.
All staff were encouraged to update ESR to ensure their ethnicity was recorded.
The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Integrated Care System (WYH ICS) review and report on tackling health inequalities for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and colleagues’ recommendations underpinned the WRES action plan. This included some longer-term goals relating to representative Board leadership and participation in campaigns.
Unconscious Bias training was commissioned and made mandatory for all staff.
Colleagues were invited to participate in a Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield Race Equality Staff Network. Members of this group were invited participate in recruitment activity (Band 7 and above) to ensure lived experience formed part of the full process, from job descriptions to interview.
Limited progress has been achieved on the following actions: recording staff access to non-statutory training and CPD, recruitment and selection training and targeted support for underrepresented groups for secondment / career progression.
In the last year the closure of CCGs and the transition to the Integrated Care Board was announced. This will become the employing body of CCG staff across West Yorkshire. However, there will remain a focus on delivery in place and it will be important to deliver the intent of the WRES within the local system as well as at the centre (ICB).
- Name of organisation
Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group
- Date of report
Year: 2021
- Name and title of Board lead for the Workforce Race Equality Standard
Penny Woodhead – Chief Quality and Nursing Officer
- Name and contact details of lead manager compiling this report
Sarah Mackenzie-Cooper, Equality and Diversity Manager
Tazeem Hanif, HR Business Partner
Background narrative
- Any issues of completeness of data
To manage risk some data has still been suppressed. This is to prevent individuals and their responses being identifiable. In the NHS staff survey some data is suppressed for BME staff due to the low number of responses.
- Any matters relating to reliability of comparisons with previous years
The report last year was based on an incomplete year of recruitment data. In the last year the vast majority of staff have worked from home due to the COVID19 pandemic. This has had an impact on staff experience across the board. This may well impact the staff survey results.
- Total number of staff employed within this organisation at the date of the report
87 staff are employed at the CCG (including executive Governing Body members) with additional Governing Body members
- Proportion of BME staff employed within this organisation at the date of the report?
8% staff employed are BME, this compares to a 10.3% BME population of Calderdale. (Census 2011)
- The proportion of total staff who have self–reported their ethnicity?
97.7% of staff self-reported their ethnicity.
- Have any steps been taken in the last reporting period to improve the level of self reporting by ethnicity?
Nearly all employed staff have self-declared their ethnicity. Last year the governing body was reminded to update their records and the rates improved for all staff including governing body from 66% to 96%.
- Are any steps planned during the current reporting period to improve the level of self reporting by ethnicity?
Staff have access to the employee self-service portal (ESR) and are able to update their ethnicity information.
Staff and Governing Body will be reminded to validate their personal details through ESR employee self-service alongside work starting on the Workforce Disability Equality Standard.
The CCG regularly receive workforce information reports and will report equality and diversity workforce statistics to the senior management team.
Workforce data
- What period does the organisation’s workforce data refer to?
For metrics 1 and 9 the data relates to a snapshot of workforce on 31st March 2021. Metrics 2 – 4 refers to data from the financial year 20-21. Other metrics relate to the 2020 National NHS staff survey.
Workforce Race Equality Indicators
For each of these workforce indicators, compare the data for White and BME staff.
- Percentage of staff in each of the AfC Bands 1-9 and VSM (including executive Board members) compared with the percentage of staff in the overall workforce. Organisations should undertake this calculation separately for non-clinical and for clinical staff
Data for reporting year:
| Pay band | BME | White | Not stated |
| 2-7 | 7.1 | 92.9 | 0 |
| 8a+ | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Non-clinical %
| Pay band | BME | White | Not stated |
| 2-7 | 10.2 | 87.8 | 2.0 |
| 8a+ | 4.6 | 90.9 | 4.6 |
Overall workforce
BME: 8%
White: 89.7%
Not stated: 2.3%
Data for previous year:
Clinical %
| Pay band | BME | White | Not stated |
| 2-7 | 7.7% | 92.3% | 0 |
| 8a+ | 0% | 100% | 0 |
Non-clinical %
| Pay band | BME | White | Not stated |
| 2-7 | 9.1% | 88.6% | 2.3% |
| 8a+ | 5.0% | 90.0% | 5.0% |
Overall workforce
BME: 7.5%
White: 90%
Not stated: 2.5%
The implications of the data and any additional background explanatory narrative
The small workforce at the CCG means that it is not possible to compare the data for BME and White staff in each of the pay bands, as it could identify individual members of staff. Also, where sample sizes are so small, staff data presented as a proportion of the workforce can be misleading, as small changes in staff numbers can have a disproportionate impact on workforce profiles. To avoid some of these data limitations and get a fuller picture of the representation of BME staff at more senior levels in the organisation, the CCG has compared the data for BME and White staff at bands 2-7 and bands 8a and above.
There is an underrepresentation of BME staff compared to the Calderdale population.
There has been a slight increase in percentage of BME staff compared to last year.
For clinical staff there is no representation for BME staff at the higher band range. There was a slight reduction in the level of clinical BME staff in bands 2-7. There are only 16 staff in this category.
There is more of a mixed picture for non-clinical staff, with 10% BME staff in the lower bandings, but only 4.6% in the senior roles, similar to the previous year.
This underrepresentation has been consistent since WRES reporting began.
Action taken and planned including e.g. does the indicator link to EDS2 evidence and/or a corporate Equality Objective
Opportunities for development, mentoring and talent management will be shared with all staff and promoted through the staff Race Equality Network. Representatives from the REN will be supported to play an active part in recruitment of staff over Band 7.
- Relative likelihood of staff being appointed from shortlisting across all posts.
Data for reporting year:
BME staff = 8.3%
White staff = 22%
White shortlisted staff were 2.64 times more likely to be recruited compared to BME staff.
2 BME applicants were appointed from 24 shortlisted candidates compared to 11 White applicants from 50 shortlisted candidates.
Data for previous year*
BME staff = 15.9%
White staff = 19.5%
White shortlisted staff were 1.2 times more likely to be recruited compared to BME staff.
3 BME applicants were appointed from 19 shortlisted candidates compared to 4 White applicants from 21 shortlisted candidates.
*incomplete dataset
The implications of the data and any additional background explanatory narrative
Last year BME staff had a similar success rate in recruitment compared to white staff (1.2) (from an incomplete dataset) this year this has decreased significantly, with White staff over 2.5 times more likely to be recruited.
Action taken and planned including e.g. does the indicator link to EDS2 evidence and/or a corporate Equality Objective
Senior leaders and HR will need to ensure that all recruiting managers understand the role of REN representative and ensure the representative is a full participant, respecting their lived experience and knowledge of unconscious and conscious bias.
Recruitment processes will be audited to scrutinise practice and understand if there are any opportunities to make improvements to the process. Work in partnership with the REN to consider potential actions to reduce the gap in shortlisting to recruitment outcomes for BME candidates.
- Relative likelihood of staff entering the formal disciplinary process, as measured by entry into a formal disciplinary investigation. This indicator will be based on data from a two-year rolling average of the current year and the previous year.
Data for reporting year:
No staff have been through the disciplinary process in the last year.
Data for previous year:
No staff were disciplined in the rolling two-year period.
The implications of the data and any additional background explanatory narrative
There is a CCG small workforce no staff entering the disciplinary process in the past 2 years.
Action taken and planned including e.g. does the indicator link to EDS2 evidence and/or a corporate Equality Objective
- Relative likelihood of staff accessing non-mandatory training and CPD
Data for reporting year: this data is not available
Data for previous year: this data is not available
The implications of the data and any additional background explanatory narrative
Action taken and planned including e.g. does the indicator link to EDS2 evidence and/or a corporate Equality Objective
National NHS Staff Survey indicators (or equivalent).
For each of the four staff survey indicators, compare the outcomes of the responses for White and BME staff
Unfortunately, there were too few BME staff respondents to the NHS staff survey to be able to report the results, this was also the position last year. in 2020 65 staff completed the staff survey of those 6.6% identified as BME.
- KF 25. Percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or the public in last 12 months
Data unavailable
- KF 26. Percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in last 12 months
Data unavailable
- KF 21. Percentage believing that trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion
Data unavailable
Q17. In the last 12 months have you personally experienced discrimination at work from any of the following? b) Manager/team leader or other colleagues
Data unavailable
The implications of the data and any additional background explanatory narrative
Due to the low numbers of employed BME staff completing the staff survey the CCG is unable to present this data. While we cannot evidence that there are any issues for our BME staff we believe that we need to take actions in recognition of the trends found from other CCGs.
Action taken and planned including e.g. does the indicator link to EDS2 evidence and/or a corporate Equality Objective
The Race Equality Network will encourage their members and other staff to complete the staff survey. As the organisation will cease to exist in 2022 and the new organisation will have over 1300 staff this should not remain an issue.
Board representation indicator
For this indicator, compare the difference for White and BME staff.
- Percentage difference between the organisations’ Board voting membership and its overall workforce
Governing Body BME representation is 18.2% (2/11)
Overall workforce BME representation is 8%
The difference in representation is +10.2%
10.3% BME population of Calderdale (Census 2011)
Data for previous year:
Governing Body BME representation is 7.8% (1/13)
Overall workforce BME representation is 7.5%
The difference in representation is 0.3%%
The implications of the data and any additional background explanatory narrative
Work was undertaken in 2020 to encourage GB members to update their staff record. This alongside some other changes has led to an increase in representation.
Action taken and planned including e.g. does the indicator link to EDS2 evidence and/or a corporate Equality Objective
None planned.
WRES action plan 2021/22
| Action | Lead | Timeline |
| Corporate actions | ||
| WRES report and action plan published on the CCG and ICS websites. WRES report and action plan communicated across the organisation | Equality, Communications and HR | October 2021 |
| WRES progress reported to the Senior Management Team and Race Equality Network | Equality and HR | February 2022 |
| In developing Place based plans and approaches ensure that race equality activity and actions are embedded, and momentum is maintained. | Executive lead, HR and Equality | Ongoing |
| Staff briefings to raise awareness of equality and the staff and organisational benefits, including participation in the Race Equality Network (REN). | Race Equality Network, Equality and Communications | Monthly |
| Consider the opportunity to develop reciprocal mentoring | SMT / BAME colleagues | Dec 2021 |
| Staff diversity and recruitment actions | ||
| Work in partnership with the REN to identify actions to reduce the gap in shortlisting to recruitment for BAME candidates. Ensure Senior leaders support identified actions to deliver commitments to more representative workforce. | HR, Race Equality Network and SMT | Ongoing |
| REN representative to fully participate in the recruitment and selection of staff, Band 7 and above, from job description to appointment. Train REN members to take full part in recruitment and selection activity. Senior leaders and HR to promote this participation. | Executive lead, HR and Race Equality Network | Ongoing |
| Ensure that all unsuccessful BAME candidates are proactively offered feedback post interview. | HR and recruiting manager | Ongoing |
| Staff experience actions | ||
| In partnership with the REN ensure the impact of organisational change on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff is fully considered in the impact assessment on the transition. | Executive lead, Equality, HR and Race Equality Network | April 2022 |
| REN to encourage completion of the NHS Staff Survey | Race Equality Network | October 2021 |
| Actively invite the sharing of staff /patient experience and stories at the staff briefing sessions and through other communications medium to ensure focus remains on lived experience. | Executive lead | Ongoing |
| Ensure staff have protected time to attend and participate in the Race Equality Network, including additional time for Chairs. Regular attendance at Senior Management Team by a REN representative | Executive lead, HR and Race Equality Network | Ongoing |
| Participate in the WY&H BAME review / Race Equality Network campaign promoting and championing positive role models in senior leadership roles and other campaigning work, e.g. Root out Racism | Executive lead, Equality, HR and Race Equality Network | Ongoing |