The trust is a diverse and inclusive organisation and there is no place for discrimination, harassment or personal abuse. We believe strongly in the powerful and wide-ranging benefits for individuals, organisations and society where inclusion and belonging are prioritised in how we engage with our local communities, our service users, carers and workforce.
We aspire to offer outstanding inclusion and belonging in its role as both an NHS service provider and as an employer.
We are committed to continually improving our services and ensuring that these are safe, personalised, accessible and recovery-focused (SPAR) for all our patients, service users, visitors and carers.
We are also committed to providing excellent employment experiences for those who work within our services. In short, we aim to see that everyone using our services – or working within them – experiences our Proud to CARE values: compassionate, approachable, responsible and excellent.
We take our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 very seriously, and indeed aim to exceed the minimum standards within the legislation to be truly outstanding.
This means that we continually work to ensure that neither our service users nor our staff are subjected to any form of discrimination, harassment or bullying, including for (but not exclusive to) reasons relating to the ‘protected characteristics’ as set out in the act:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment (and gender identity)
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race (including ethnic or national heritage, colour or nationality)
- religion or belief
- sex (gender)
- sexual orientation
This approach means we take pride in creating better experiences for other groups and individuals who may be disadvantaged through being different in some way.
We are also working to ensure that all individuals’ human rights are protected and that vulnerable and disadvantaged people are safe from abuse and that they can access care and support tailored to their needs. As citizens, employees, parents, carers and service users, we are all stakeholders in the NHS. We each have a duty to make sure that healthcare outcomes are of the highest standard.
The trust will not tolerate any form of racist, cultural, religious, sexist, misogynistic, ableist, biphobic, homophobic, transphobic discrimination, bullying or harassment in any of our services, whether from service users and patients, members of the public, or those working on behalf of the trust.
Action will always be taken where this occurs. To report an incident of discrimination, bullying or harassment, see below for details.
The trust is committed to working positively to develop a culture of inclusion and belonging across our trust through our partnerships and within our communities. This will include eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation, promoting inclusion and belonging and nurturing better relationships between people of different characteristics. We further commit to going beyond the basic requirements of the Equality Act to develop policies and practices that actively challenge and address inequality and inequity at every level.
Each year, we will publish how our activities as a service provider and employer affect people with different protected characteristics, and we will review, set and publish our equality objectives at least every four years.
If you need more information in relation to any aspect of our approach to inclusion and belonging, please email diversity@combined.nhs.uk.
Trust Inclusion and Belonging Strategic Plan
This Inclusion and Belonging Strategic Plan 2024–28 is part of the ‘Our Combined People Plan’, our vehicle for delivering our Trust Workforce Strategy 2023–28.
It sets out our ambitions, including our equality objectives, to maintain and strengthen our approach to inclusion and belonging and our desired impact over the next 3–4 years.
Being inclusive and fostering a sense of belonging recognises everyone as individuals, all with a diverse range of characteristics. Some of these include the Equality Act (2010) ‘9 protected characteristics’, but also much more than this a wide range of characteristics.
It is recognised that some characteristics and identities may bring privilege (or potential advantage) while others may have become ‘minoritised’ by society and therefore may bring potential disadvantage or challenges. It is noted that some characteristics are visible and others invisible.
Action and progress to deliver on our Inclusion and Belonging Strategic Plan is reported on in our Inclusion and Belonging Annual Report (due autumn 2024).
Monitoring diversity and inclusion at the trust
All NHS trusts are required, under the Equality Act 2010, to publish annually how our activities as a service provider and employer affect people with different ‘protected’ characteristics.
We are also required to set, review and publish Equality Objectives at least every four years. At Combined Healthcare, we do this within our Inclusion and Belonging Annual Report (previously Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report).
Our latest report in compliance with the Equality Act 2010 can be accessed via the links below (both documents should be read together):
Additionally, NHS trusts are required to complete and publish the following annual assessments:
Equality Delivery System (EDS2)
EDS 2023 coming soon. For more information, please email diversity@combined.nhs.uk.
Reporting incidents of discrimination, bullying or harassment
It is important that all incidents of discrimination, bullying or harassment are appropriately reported to enable such issues to be adequately addressed and satisfactorily resolved, and to allow important organisational learning and improvement to take place.
Service users and the members of the public:
To report an abuse incident from a service user, member of the public or staff member:
- Report incident to a member of staff in the relevant department or a trust senior manager or via the trust complaints process.
Trust staff:
To report discrimination, bullying or harassment from a member of the workforce:
- Contact your line manager, a member of the HR Team, Trade Union representative, Freedom to Speak Up Guardian or Champion or Staff Network Lead.
- Alternatively, complete the reporting form for incidents of bullying and/or harassment (found in the Bullying and Harassment at Work policy) and return it to one of the above individuals.
To report discrimination, bullying or harassment from a patient /service user or member of the public:
- Report the incident to your line manager/person in charge, a trust senior manager or via the Ulysses incident reporting system.