Equality, diversity and inclusion

Local Healthwatch

We know many local Healthwatch are effectively engaging, partnering and empowering equality groups through their work, but not all Local Healthwatch consistently share information and insight with us. This lack of evidence means the picture is uneven. We also know that the pressure of delivering on our enormous remit, as tiny local organisations with limited resources, means that we’re not always able to reach-out and work with equality and seldom-heard groups as much as we aspire to. In some cases, this can make it difficult for us to demonstrate we are meeting our duties under the Equality Act, limiting our influence on commissioners and stakeholders. 

Recruiting staff, volunteers and board members that reflect our local communities can be challenging, but reflecting local communities amongst our staff, volunteers and board members is a key component in both our influence and credibility. Everyone should be able to access the same opportunities and fulfil their potential. Data from the non-profit sector as a whole shows us that this is not the case. As the Healthwatch network, we don’t know how near or far we are to achieving a diverse and inclusive body of staff, volunteers and board members. Part of my work is to begin to collect the evidence that will allow us to work together to continue to improve equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion, values which form the foundation of our work.  

We know from our conversations with local Healthwatch that addressing issues around equality, diversity and inclusion is not new; but is key to how we achieve impact and demonstrate value.  We know more needs to be done for change to happen. This project won’t provide answers to all the challenges faced – but it will provide a foundation and a space to explore the issues from different perspectives, inform practice and policy, and support Local Healthwatch in making changes.

Scope

This project is about looking outwards at the work that we do with our local communities as well as inwards at our individual organisations. We will share and celebrate good practice and work together to see what more we could do and how we can support and facilitate your journey.

I’m under no illusion to the size of the task. Equality, diversity and inclusion are routinely used interchangeably, but each concept is distinct, large in scope and each one offers different challenges. They are not the same.

Providing equality for everyone requires policy and practice for protection against discrimination, recognising and valuing differences in people and perspectives requires a commitment to ensure the representation of multiple identities, while the experience and feeling of being valued and included requires a commitment to ensuring people feel a sense of belonging and ability to be their authentic self.

My short-hand way of thinking about this is - equality is hearing that a party is happening, diversity is being invited to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance.

Our communities and Healthwatch

This work is taking place when COVID-19 has demonstrated the disproportionate impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, while Black Lives Matter shone the spotlight on the systemic racism that runs across society. Our sector does not escape as #CharitySoWhite and the Home Truths report of Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary of Organisations (ACEVO) highlight.

The task in hand

Working with you, we will gain a better picture of local Healthwatch equality, diversity and inclusion successes and support needs by:

• Creating a baseline of Healthwatch activity across protected characteristics and seldom heard groups
• Identifying positive examples of what works and why
• Understanding shared values, beliefs and assumptions in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Offering peer support to tackle challenges
• Sharing learning and expertise from outside of the Healthwatch network

Healthwatch England’s role

My work will begin to build the foundations with the network and help to develop Healthwatch England’s support on equality, diversity and inclusion, as they refresh their Strategy. My work will begin to build the foundations with the network and help to develop Healthwatch England’s support on equality, diversity and inclusion, as they refresh their Strategy.

Here at Healthwatch England we too will be continuing to look at, and take action on, our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Healthwatch Week

I held my first workshop with during Healthwatch week to talk about this work and hear about the opportunities and challenges from a local Healthwatch perspective. I’ve listed a few of the issues raised below:

1. Local Healthwatch find it difficult to engage with certain equality groups. Factors include:
   
   • lack of faith in whether anything will come from being listened to
   • worry about repercussions from saying anything negative
   • reticence about sharing demographic information
2. Defining good practice: the challenge of whether it is simply standard or exceptional – who determines and how do we compare to approaches used outside of the network.
3. Diversity differs in each area – one size does not fit all
4. Building trust is essential to effective engagement. Short contracts and staff turnover require relationships to be rebuilt
5. Language is important. For example BAME is not a term recognised, or liked, by all
6. Don’t reinvent the wheel – there are many great tools and resources already out there

Our aims

We are looking robustly and openly at our successes and challenges in engaging and working with equality and seldom heard groups and at how diverse and inclusive our own organisations are. We will have honest and open conversations with our peers and colleagues within the network and with Healthwatch England our so that we can facilitate true, meaningful, and impactful change.

Share your insight

We know this is the start of a journey and there is much to be done to ‘broaden the doorway of representation’ through our engagement activity and within the composition of our staff, volunteers and board members.

Do feel free to share any thoughts, suggestions or comments you have. You can contact me at joy.beishon@healthwatch.co.uk