NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme: Equality Impact Assessment Results

4. Key Findings

The EQIA has highlighted areas with potential impacts on different groups and opportunities for promoting equality.

4.1 The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme is expected to have no particular effect on eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation across all protected characteristics.

The Programme aligns to NHS Scotland policy on Equality, Diversity and Human Rights. All NHS Scotland staff are welcome to participate in the Community.

4.2 The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme is expected to have a positive effect on advancing equality of opportunity for the following protected characteristics:

Disability, Age, Sex, Maternity, Gender reassignment, Sexual orientation, Race

The Programme:

• Includes NHS Scotland staff up to three years post-retirement.
• Promotes ways of being involved in global citizenship without the need to travel, eg remote teaching opportunities, fundraising.
• Supports staff to navigate HR policies in order to pursue global health work.
• Promotes global citizenship involvement that is flexible and can fit round other caring commitments.
• Supports difficult decision-making around safety of travelling abroad, for example to countries where homosexuality is illegal.

4.3 The NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme is expected to have a positive effect on promoting good relations for all protected characteristics.

The Programme:

• Prioritises respectful engagement and collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders.
• Is likely to raise awareness of some of the challenges faced by people with protected characteristics.
• Incorporates the use of in person/hybrid events and supporting local networks. These are likely to promote good relations between different groups of people.

Currently there is no evidence of negative impacts on individuals with protected characteristics. Nevertheless, the Programme will continue to monitor and review this EQIA to ensure ongoing assessment of potential impacts on people with protected characteristics.

The following additional opportunities to promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations have been identified as a result of the EQIA process:

• To identify and promote the variety of ways of global health working for NHS Scotland staff.
• To revisit how to support employees and line managers to navigate NHS HR issues related to overseas global health work.
• To support the Community to practise ethical global health involvement, and be able to make informed decisions about how to be involved, by developing good quality educational resources.

The Advisory Board are developing a workplan to deliver the ‘future direction’ set out in the Framework – this will also incorporate the additional opportunities detailed above.