Test and Protect: equality and Fairer Scotland Duty impact assessment

7. Who was involved in this EQIA?

Initial scoping work to draw together an analysis of the equalities impacts of Test and Protect was undertaken in Summer 2020. Engagement with stakeholders continues with a range of engagement through the Covid Advisory Group, the Covid Compliance Advisory Group and specific engagement with external stakeholders. Scottish Government officials work in partnership with public health officials, clinicians and local authorities and the policy development process ensures input from a broad range of disciplines, experience from both external organisations, academia and public agencies.

The initial scoping exercise invited views from the following stakeholders through correspondence, through Microsoft Teams or over the phone:

• Scottish Consortium for Learning Disabilities
• Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
• NHS Equality Lead professional network
• Directors of Public Health
• NHS Tayside
• NHS Fife
• Health Improvement Principal I NHS Highland - Argyll & Bute
• Public Health Scotland

Throughout the policy development process for Test and Protect to date a wide range of stakeholders have been consulted and engaged on a range of issues including:

• all 32 local authorities
• the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
• the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)
• NHS Health Boards
• a broad range of third sector stakeholders
• public health and social psychology academics
• members of the public through insights and attitudinal research
• private business and business organisations
• the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC)

Questions on Test and Protect are included in fortnightly coronavirus polling ensuring that the latest views of people with lived experience of the Test and Protect system and views of the wider population are included in the policy development process. In addition there is ongoing public insights/attitude work; research into engagement with self-isolation; engagement with third sector organisations, representatives of the Covid-19 Advisory Forum and Covid-19 Compliance group; and engagement with trade union representatives..

The Test and Protect Pathways Programme is undertaking a programme of work to meet users' needs by gathering insights in the short-term and generating continuous feedback loops to inform service design and improvement activities. Through the insights work, the Pathways Programme (and all Test and Protect Programmes) will proactively consider the engagement of people with protected characteristics or who face socio-economic disadvantage in the design and the pathway mapping processes.