4. Equalities, Health and Human Rights: Impact Assessment Checklists
4.1 This checklist is intended to inform and prompt discussion when assessing the Equalities, Health and Human Rights impact of policies, plans/strategies and procedures in relation to emergency preparedness[39].
4.2 Its aim is to identify 'potential' areas of impact and where further work may be needed to determine whether these apply and how significant they are. Health Boards may adopt their own approach to Health Inequalities Impact Assessment.
4.3 Some of the issues to think about when considering the ways in which a plan could have differential impacts on different population groups are outlined below[40]. It is not an exhaustive list, and is provided simply as initial pointers to stimulate thinking.
1. Equality and human rights issues: all equalities groups
| What to consider when developing plans/strategies |
- Ensure language and images in any communications are inclusive and appropriate.
- Communications should use the National Standards for Community Engagement.
- Consider potential to promote positive attitudes and equal opportunities for all population groups.
- Consider potential to foster positive good relations between different groups and encourage participation in public life for all groups.
- Consider potential to address discrimination (direct, indirect and victimisation), harassment and personal harm against any population group.
- Consider the potential to better understand and address assumptions, prejudice and stereotyping of different population groups.
- Consider how to address confidentiality, privacy and data protection issues.
- Consider how to collect demographic information on each of the groups for profiling of access to/outcomes of services and initiatives.
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2. Equalities Impact Assessment Checklists
Which groups of the population do you think will be affected by your major incident policy/plan?
Population groups |
How might these groups be affected differentially by the policy/ plan etc.? |
- Older people, young people and children
- Women, men and transgender people (includes issues relating to pregnancy and maternity)
- Disabled people (includes physical disability, learning disability, sensory impairment, chronic conditions, mental health problems)
- Minority ethnic people (includes Gypsy/Travellers, non-English speakers)
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- People with different religions or beliefs (includes people with no religion or belief)
- LGBT and heterosexual people
- People in different socio-economic groups (includes those living in poverty/people of low income)
- People in different social classes
- Homeless people
- People involved in the criminal justice system
- People who have low literacy
- People in remote, rural and/or island locations
- Carers
- Staff (includes people with different work patterns)
- Others (please add):
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Assessing the positive or negative impacts of the plan
| Which population groups could be affected by these impacts? |
Population group(s) affected |
What will the Health Board do to rectify or minimise these impacts? |
| What impact will the policy have on equality?
- Discrimination against groups of people
- Promoting equality of opportunity
- Tackling harassment
- Promoting positive attitudes
- Promoting good relations between different groups
- Community capacity building
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| What impact will the policy have on lifestyles?
- Diet and nutrition
- Exercise and physical activity
- Substance use: tobacco, alcohol or drugs
- Sexual health
- Learning and skills
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| What impact will the policy have on the social environment?
- Social status
- Employment (paid or unpaid)
- Income
- Crime and fear of crime
- Family support and social networks
- Stress, resilience and community assets
- Participation and inclusion
- Control
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| What impact will the policy have on the physical environment?
- Living conditions
- Working conditions
- Pollution or climate change (waste, energy, resource use)
- Unintentional injuries and public safety
- Transmission of infectious disease
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| How will the policy impact on access to and quality of services?
- Healthcare
- Transport
- Social services
- Housing services
- Education provision
- Culture and leisure services
- Communicating information, consultation and involvement
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3. Human Rights Impact Assessment Checklist
Which human rights could be affected by the policy, plan or procedure?
| Which population groups could be affected by these issues? |
Effects |
Population group(s) |
What will the Board do to ameliorate these effects? |
| Life (Article 2, ECHR) |
- Basic necessities such as adequate nutrition, clean and safe drinking water
- Suicide
- Risk to life of/from others
- Duties to protect life from risks by self/others
- End of life questions
- Duties of prevention, protection and remedy, including investigation of unexpected death
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| Freedom from ill-treatment (Article 3, ECHR) |
- Fear, humiliation
- Intense physical or mental suffering or anguish
- Prevention of ill-treatment, protection and rehabilitation of survivors of ill-treatment
- Duties of prevention, protection and remedy, including investigation of reasonably substantiated allegations of serious ill-treatment
- Dignified living conditions
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| Liberty (Article 5, ECHR) |
- Detention under mental health law
- Review of continued justification of detention
- Informing reasons for detention
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| Fair hearing (Article 6, ECHR) |
- Staff disciplinary proceedings
- Malpractice
- Right to be heard
- Procedural fairness
- Effective participation in proceedings that determine rights
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| Private and family life (Article 8, ECHR) |
- Private life
- Family life
- Home
- Correspondence
- Reputation
- Physical and moral integrity (e.g. freedom from non-consensual treatment, harassment or abuse)
- Personal data, privacy and confidentiality
- Sexual identity
- Autonomy and self-determination
- Relations with family, community
- Participation in decisions that affect rights
- Legal capacity in decision making, supported participation and decision making, accessible information and communication to support decision making
- Participation in public life
- Participation in leisure and cultural life
- Clean and healthy environment
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| Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 9, ECHR) |
- Conduct central to beliefs (such as worship, appropriate diet)
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| Freedom of expression (Article 10, ECHR) |
- To hold opinions
- To express opinions and receive and impart information and ideas without interference
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| Freedom of assembly and association (Article 11, ECHR) |
- Meetings, marches and demonstrations
- Choosing whether to belong to a trade union
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| Marriage and founding a family (Article 12, ECHR) |
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| Protocol 1 (Article 1, 2, 3, ECHR) |
- Peaceful enjoyment of possessions
- Right to education
- Right to elections/vote
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