Diversity and Inclusion
Productive Diversity: Supporting boards to reap the rewards of getting equality right.
Why is equality such an important issue?
All boards of organisations providing services to the general public need to be assured that they are meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. NHS boards also need to meet the new requirements of the Equality Delivery System (EDS) and the relevant Care Quality Commission standards. The NHS Management Board emphasises that board leadership of the EDS and board responsibility for the Equality Act are important duties for all board members to understand.
What can GGI do to help?
GGI has been working in the area of equality and diversity for some time. We believe that good diversity practice goes beyond being compliant; it is also a key driver (and indicator) of business performance.
We have worked with NHS West Midlands to create “Productive Diversity”, a board development programme that maximizes the benefits of meeting Equality Act requirements, and we offer this in tandem with supporting boards to implement a CQC-compliant EDS.
Here is just some of the feedback we have received about our work with boards in this area:
Simon Grainger-Payne, Board Secretary, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust:
"The Productive Diversity programme offered a great opportunity to ensure that we were fully embracing diversity in our commitment to better practice and adopting good business processes. The board got a lot out of the work that GGI did with us on this, and recognised that adopting the Productive Diversity approach would fit well with the organisation’s progress towards NHS Foundation Trust status."
Alison Gyngell, Chair, NHS Coventry:
"Whatever the new NHS looks like, the key thing that GGI has identified is that embracing diversity is crucial to ensuring that we remain effective in meeting the nation's healthcare needs. NHS Coventry was delighted to be involved in developing the Productive Diversity programme, and as a board we are committed to ensuring that these principles are embedded in the future delivery of healthcare in Coventry."
Barbara Hay, Head of Diversity, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust:
"We had a great experience with GGI on inclusion last year, and we were delighted to get them back for a second piece of work as we develop our own Equality Delivery System. Once again, GGI really helped the board to identify what needs to happen over the year ahead to make sure we are not just compliant, but embracing diversity as a driver of performance."
What exactly will we get from GGI?
We support boards with one to one interviews, workshops and online resources that together:
- explain assurance requirements for boards
- explore the benefits of getting diversity right
- map out current governance practice within the organisation
- provide a gap analysis between current practice and benchmarked better practice
- develop a consensus on what is achievable in the short and medium term
- deliver a strategic Equality Delivery System implementation plan
GGI will work closely with both the Board and relevant executive staff to develop an EDS implementation plan that will deliver tangible change, and will be fully owned by all board members in terms of:
- objectives that reflect the priorities and capacities of the organisation and its staff, as well as the needs and priorities the population it serves
- plans informed by meaningful local liaison and local leadership
- the establishment of equality and diversity at the heart of Board business
- effective reporting mechanisms that ensure the board will be kept fully briefed, and the organisation will be able to field a
class-leading set of data - rigorous mechanisms for external assessment in line with NHS recommendations.
Building on the strategic outcome of the initial process, we offer a range of follow-on support to help boards (and staff charged with implementation of the EDS) achieve their objectives. Once in place, the EDS requires that the board is externally assured around diversity issues, and we will also undertake this assurance review for the board.
Our commissions to date include:
- Producing a film and associated training materials for NHS West Midlands on the business case for diversity
- Developing a board programme for NHS West Midlands for use by local PCTs and provider Trusts
- Equality and diversity board reviews and development at NHS Coventry
- Board development work with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
- Board development work with Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
- Board-level Equality Delivery System support at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS
Trust.
How do I know I need this?
This survey will give you an initial sense of where you might be as a board and as an organisation. It’s just five questions, and will only take a few minutes to complete.
Key Personnel at GGI
The equality and diversity support provided by GGI is led by Andrew Corbett-Nolan and Angus Malcolm.
Andrew and Angus both have long experience of working for greater equality in the delivery of healthcare, and were delighted to
collaborate with NHS West Midlands on developing this programme.
Andrew is particularly passionate about the governance value of board awareness of diversity. “Equality and diversity isn’t just an issue for boards to look at, it’s a lens that boards can look through to get a sense of everything else. If they’re getting this right, the chances are they’re getting a lot else right too.”
Angus emphasises the positive value of diversity. “Too often diversity is seen as an obligation, when it’s actually an opportunity. Obviously there needs to be regulation to ensure that this isn’t something that gets ignored, but that can mean that people lose sight of the carrot, and only see the stick.”
More information
Here are some excerpts from the film that commissioned by NHS West Midlands on the business case for diversity. It includes interviews with senior leaders in both the NHS and the private sector, including corporate leaders in the US:
An introduction to productive diversity
Meeting the needs of the populations you serve
