Carstairs State Hospital
Demographic Profile:
No progress was reported in this section.
Energising the Organisation: Race Equality and Equal Opportunity Policies:
The Board states it does not know if the Equal Opportunity Policy has been written in line with the 1996 Race Relations Act. The policy is communicated to staff but only those specifically involved in recruitment and selection are given training with respect to the policy.
The Organisation does not have a designated senior manager with a lead responsibility to race and ethnicity. However, a clinical nurse specialist has a specific remit to work with women and ethnic minority groups. There is already a strategy for working with women, deaf and learning disability patients. A similar strategy for ethnic minority patients is in the pipeline.
There are no current links with racial equality networks, either locally or nationally.
Access: Service Delivery:
The Organisation does take account of the needs of ethnic minority patients when planning new services or developing existing ones. Whenever, a patient is admitted an individually tailored 'Care Plan' is made. This includes a full assessment of needs including ethnic/cultural requirements, spiritual and dietary needs. Although this process is not proactive, monthly and weekly reviews with the patient and the key worker ensures that the service is 'Patient Centred'.
Translation and interpreting services can be commissioned from other agencies when the need arises; however, bilingual staff provide immediate language assistance.
Surveys are carried out regarding patient satisfaction of food. These help to create a well balanced and diverse menu. There are various theme food nights including Chinese, Indian, vegetarian and healthy choice dishes. When patient requirements cannot be catered for by the Board, relatives are allowed to supplement patients' diet and, in other cases, services are commissioned from outside caterers.
Human Resources: Recruitment and Selection:
Staff involved in recruitment, selection and interview are given guidance and training in racial equality principals and anti-discriminatory practices. Although a black member of staff has recently been appointed, no recruitment from this group has taken place for over twenty years. The recruitment strategy has not been used to redress this imbalance in the workforce.
Human Resources: Development and Retention of Staff:
Staff who have a direct responsibility for working with ethnic minority patients are given training to enhance their skills and inform them of the particular needs of this group.
Community Development:
Patient information leaflets are not available in languages other than English. Road Shows are held frequently in order to interface with the public and inform them of the decision-making process in the Board and how it works. These events (including ward open days for patients' relatives) which is not specific for ethnic minority groups, gives the Organisation an opportunity to 'broadcast or raise awareness of their work'. A questionnaire is used to assess the events and participants satisfaction. These have helped to inform policy development and resource allocation.
Postscript
Firstly I am pleased to report that there are an additional three staff employed within the State Hospital who come from a ethnic minority background, this, as you will know, is a 75% increase in our previous numbers. The recruitment of these staff has been smooth and unremarkable.
We are currently reviewing our Human Resource Policies e.g. Recruitment and Selection, Grievances, Disciplinary, Equal Opportunities, etc., we have asked the small multi-professional group doing this work to ensure the principles of racial equality are embedded in all of the policies.
In relation to patients, we still only have two patients from ethnic minority background. As we indicated previously we have been meeting their specific religious, dietary and welfare requirements on a needs-led basis.
Our Clinical Nurse Specialist for minority services continues to explore ways to develop services for ethnic minority groups as part of her portfolio. Clinical Teams responsible for patients from ethnic minority backgrounds are provided with information, support and advice to support their care and management.
Common Service Agency
Demographic Profile:
The Agency is aware of the demographic profile of the black and ethnic minority communities in Scotland. However, this information has not been used to address issues of ethnicity within the corporate Contract of Management (equivalent to the Health Improvement Programmes of the Health Boards).
Energising the Organisation: Race Equality and Equal Opportunity Policies:
The Equal Opportunities Policy is actively communicated to all staff through training and regular updates. There is no specific anti-discriminatory training to senior management. However, equality is an intrinsic part of every management training programmes/modules.
There are no present links between the organisation and other local or national racial equality networks.
Access: Service Delivery:
The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) commissions and specifies to the Agency a broad remit, which includes the provision of support to the Health Boards at their request. Although the Agency is able to make certain recommendations to the SEHD or the Health Boards, any request for data on ethnicity must come from either of these organisations.
There is no specific consultation with the ethnic minority communities. However, the annual general meeting is open to the public, as are the Board meetings, which are held in different locations outside Edinburgh.
There has been some progress to look at the issue of translation and interpretation especially by the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service (SBTS).
Human Resources: Recruitment and Selection:
Managers and personnel staff are given guidance and training in recruitment, selection and interview process in respect of non-discriminatory practices and procedures.
There is a slight under-representation of ethnic minority staff in the organisation. Recruitment is mainly carried out internally within the Agency and then via the Health Boards. Only few vacancies not filled internally are made open to the public. These are advertised in the national press through advertising agencies.
Although the organisation collects ethnic data on applicants and appointments, these have not been used to set objectives for increasing the number of ethnic minority staff among the workforce.
Human Resources: Development and Retention of Staff:
There is no specific initiative to retain or develop ethnic minority staff. However, staff are encouraged to develop a personal learning or career plan in consultation with their manager.
Although exit interviews are carried out, there is no ethnic monitoring of staff leaving the Agency's employment.
Community Development:
The Agency organises roadshows to encourage members of the public to access information about the nature of the organisation and how it works, including the decision-making processes.
The SBTS has some literature in Urdu. However, the Agency will be examining ways of making information and literature available in community languages.
The Scottish Blood Transfusion Association, a volunteer forum, carries out various consultation exercises with the public, not specifically with the ethnic minority communities.
Postscript
Since the 'stocktake' interviews the major new area of work related to ethnic minority issues is in relation to the Race Relations Amendment Act 2001.
Two members of our Corporate HQ have attended seminars and discussion groups to provide input from a health prospective to the development of a Code of Practice for Scotland, which will support the changes in responsibility for public authorities as outlined in this legislation.
This will ensure that ethnic minority issues are at the forefront and takes into account any decision-making processes and service provision.
Health Education Board for Scotland
Demographic Profile:
The Organisation relies on the Health Boards/Health Promotion Departments for local information. No attempt has been made to collate these data and use them to plan programmes to meet the needs of ethnic minority communities i.e. through the Strategic and Operational Plans.
Energising the Organisation: Race Equality and Equal Opportunity Policies:
The Equal Opportunity Policy does not have a specific section on Racial Equality. The Organisation states it was not sure if the policy has been written in line with the Race Relations Act 1996.
There is an effective communication of the policy to staff through the distribution of personal copies and staff involvement in the design of the policy. The Organisation will (March 2000) include training in equal opportunities for staff as part of the Human Resource Strategy.
A designated senior manager with lead responsibility for health and ethnicity is currently putting together some strategy to look more closely at how services are accessed and received by ethnic minority communities.
Access: Service Delivery:
Strathclyde Interpreting Services are used occasionally to provide translation and interpreting services. However, the Publishing Group is reviewing the feasibility of having translation literatures in community languages.
Human Resources: Recruitment and Selection:
The Board has no ethnic minority staff and have no strategy to address this imbalance in the workforce.
Human Resources: Development and Retention of Staff:
No progress was reported in this section.
Community Development:
There is a commitment to fund the voluntary sector, not specifically the ethnic minority voluntary sector. There has been community partnership in programme planning to encourage more ethnic minority women to take up breast screening services, through training of community activists.
Postscript
Scottish Ambulance Service
Demographic Profile:
Some attempts have been made to tap into organisations for ethnic demographic data with some success. The Joint Emergency Services Working Group is about to look at this sort of indicator to gauge service up take. Some of the national performance indicators will also look at an effective response to enquiries also in relation to the ethnic minority communities.
Energising the Organisation: Race Equality and Equal Opportunity Policies:
There is effective communication and training of staff on the Equal Opportunity Policy and the implications of non-adherence. A large investment in training has reinforced commitment to, and effectiveness of, the Equal Opportunity Policy. A positive approach has been taken to looking at anti-disciplinary training for senior management and their staff. A joint Equal Opportunity Working Group with staff-wide representation currently looks at training issues in equal opportunity and has links with local racial equality networks.
Access: Service Delivery:
A Patient Involvement Survey will soon be carried out and it is hoped that the views of ethnic minority patients will be included. A Code of Conduct specifies the expectations of staff in terms of equity of service complemented by a competency-based approach to staff performance. The current eight control centres are being reconfigured and part of this process will look at immediate access to interpreters.
Although without a specific racial equality dimension, some international exchange visits with overseas colleagues has enhanced multi-racial, cultural and religious knowledge of the workforce. The organisation is presently developing a quality strategy, which will include an examination of their duty of care to minority groups.
'The Beliefs and Cultures of Ethnic Groups Within Dumfries & Galloway'.
Human Resources: Recruitment and Selection:
The Organisation is not perceived as a high status employer. Recent developments have involved talks in schools and colleges using black instructors as role models to encourage career in the ambulance service. Joint working with sister emergency services has ensured that co-ordinated efforts can be made to encourage black staff to aspire to the more senior managerial posts. Ethnic data on applicants and appointments by grade are readily analysed and used to review recruitment strategy. Targets are also set to encourage more applicants from black and ethnic minority groups.
Community Development:
The Board is a moving organisation and meetings are held all over Scotland to encourage the public to participate in decision-making. This sort of activity has helped to inform and shape policy development and resource allocation. The organisation is currently reviewing translated patient literatures and hopes to make these more widely available. Bids have been submitted in partnership with the Gaelic Speakers in the remote Islands for an Air Ambulance, in a move designed to achieve equity in access. There are links with Central Scotland Racial Equality Council, Tayside Racial Equality Council, West of Scotland Community Relations Council - Uniformed Services Committee. All these links help to raise awareness of the uniformed services among black and ethnic minority groups and enhance knowledge of career opportunities.
Postscript
1. Through the Lothians and Borders uniformed committee we have established an advisory group of representative of various ethnic minority groups with the aim to assist the committee in targeting and in better understanding of some of the barriers to potential applicants.
2. We offer limited opportunities for job experience to applicants.
3. Also, this group has produced a joint leaflet containing contact details of all the services to facilitate the provision of information to potential applicants.
4. We continue to jointly attend job fairs, schools and further education establishments to raise awareness and provide information on career opportunities.
5. An invitation has been extended to careers service staff to visit each of the committees training establishment to provide careers advisors with an insight into the training and development opportunities open to potential applicants.
6. Through the West of Scotland uniformed services committee we recently bid for funding under the home office connecting communities grant scheme. Our bid was to have financed the rental of shop premises in an area of Glasgow with a large ethnic minority population, where member organisations of the committee could set up display materials and man the shop on a rota basis to provide information to potential applicants in an informal setting. The bid for funding was not successful but we are now pursuing the possibility carrying out a similar initiative within the premises of the East Pollokshields Multi Cultural Centre Glasgow.
7. We are in the final stages of producing a joint services power-point presentation, which provides entry criteria and contact details of all the participating services.
8. The recent revision of our services policy on recruitment and selection ensures that adverts are placed in newspapers such as 'Scotland Oracle' in addition to more traditional mediums.
9. The service has entered into a contract with a translation agency to help with telephone call taking and have installed telecommunications equipment in order to provide concurrent on-line translation for those callers who identify this need.
10. The service has contributed to the Ambulance Service Association Committee on the under representation of black and ethnic minority staff in the UK Ambulance Services. This has resulted in a major initiative to be launched at AMBEX 2001. The programme will assist and encourage member services to develop positive action plans and strategies and will facilitate sharing of best practice.