Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

This is a report by Healthwatch Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Wakefield District. The report looks at Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy development.

West Yorkshire Voice was asked to lead several focus groups to help West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (WY ICB) develop its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy. West Yorkshire Voice invited people to share their feedback and ideas about what should be included in the new strategy for health and care services across the region. 

The focus groups were planned alongside other surveys and events led by the WY ICB: a ‘Stakeholder Day’ and two online surveys, one for the public and one for professionals. West Yorkshire Voice spoke to 46 people about their understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, what they thought was working well, what wasn’t and any suggestions they had for improvement.

There are recommendations in this report:

• Accessible Communication: Clear communication adapted to people’s needs is vital to them having equal access and benefit from health and care services.
• Accessible, person centred and holistic care: It is important for people that professionals understand them as a ‘whole person’ rather than their symptoms or diagnosis.
• Design and adapting services in line with community need: There is often a disconnect between what professionals think people need and what they actually need.
• Diversity in workforce and leadership: People benefit from seeing and speaking to people like them in health and care services and would like to see diversity in leadership roles.
• Make services welcoming: People want to be able to go into a service without fear of judgement and feel safe.
• Compassionate and culturally competent care: It is important to people that services are culturally sensitive, and that staff understand their background and culture.
• Early Intervention and preventative care: Lack of early intervention can make things worse for people and exacerbate health inequalities.
• Creating a strategy and accountability: People want whatever is in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy to happen and for people to be accountable.
• Missing Voices: There were still many voices missing from the conversation around the EDI strategy and we need to hear from these to get the strategy right. 

There are follow up actions in this report.