Extended use of facemasks and face coverings guidance in hospitals, primary care and wider community healthcare settings (referred to as 'Healthcare settings'): Equality Impact Assessment

Marriage and Civil Partnership

1. Background

The numbers of marriages and civil partnerships in Scotland in 2019^[82] are as follows:

Number of marriages – 26,007

Civil partnerships – 83

Male Partnerships – 50

Female Partnerships – 33

2. Evidence / Data – Healthcare Settings

Healthcare Staff

According to NHS staff respondents to iMatter 2022^[83], when asked ‘What is your legal marital or registered civil partnership status?’ Never married and never registered in a civil partnership was 28%, Married 51%, in a registered civil partnership 1%, Separated, but still legally married 3%, Separated, but still legally in a civil partnership, less than 1%, Divorced 8% and no answer given, 8%.

Patients of and visitors to healthcare settings.

There is no data available for patients of/ visitors to healthcare settings. General population data (noted above) has been used to support this equality impact assessment.

3. Impact Summary – Healthcare Settings

Does the withdrawal of the extended use of facemask guidance in healthcare settings have a positive or negative impact on people as result of their marital or registered civil partnership status?

There is no evidence to suggest that individuals working, using or visiting Healthcare settings are adversely affected by this policy as a result of their marriage or civil partnership status.

It is important to emphasise that the use of face masks will still be in place in healthcare settings if they are required clinically or as a result of outbreak/ incident management.