We regard our staff as our greatest asset, ensuring staff related processes are underpinned by human rights principles, and all workforce activities we undertake have inclusion built into them from the outset.
Workforce Disability Equality Standard
The Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) requires NHS organisations to submit data across 10 metrics to NHS England annually. South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) is not currently mandated to supply the data but has elected to do so as part of our work to build an inclusive culture in the ICB.
Based on the WDES metrics and staff engagement, the ICB has agreed to take a series of actions to improve the experience of our disabled staff in the workplace.
Click here to view the Workforce Disability Equality Standard 2023 report
Workforce Race Equality Standard
As we continue to make SEL ICB an inclusive workplace for everyone, we are pleased to present the ICB’s first Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report. The WRES helps us to understand and improve the experiences of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic staff. There are nine indicators covering a wide range of areas that we are committed to tackling over the next year.
Click here to view the Workforce Race Equality Standard 2023 report
Gender Pay Gap
Organisations with more than 250 employees are required to publish details of their gender pay gap, to comply with the Equality Act 2010. Gender pay gap transparency increases accountability and drives action to advance gender equality in the workplace and demonstrates a commitment to equality.
SEL ICB produced its first Gender Pay Gap Report on 30 March 2024 with a snapshot date of 31 March 2023.
Click here to view the SEL CCG Gender Pay Gap 2023/24 report
Workforce initiatives
Examples of some of our initiatives include:
Anti-Racism Strategy
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
Health and Care LGBTQ+ Inclusion Framework
EDI Training and Development
Staff Networks and Champions
Equalities in Recruitment Working Group
Anti-Racism Strategy
SEL ICB has been taking forward important work on the development and delivery of a staff Anti-racism Strategy. The Strategy brings together all our commitments and activities to support race equality and is fully supported and approved by our ICB Board. Further discussions with our system partners are taking place about our collective action to become anti-racist organisations.
The ICB is carrying out its first review of the Anti-racism Strategy and findings will be used in the development of our forthcoming equality, diversity and inclusion strategy.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
SEL ICB is currently developing a new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy which will set out our EDI ambitions for 2025-2028.
The strategy will focus on workforce and service equalities and aims to look at staff and patient experiences through a developing intersectional lens.
Health and Care LGBTQ+ Inclusion Framework
The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Asexual (LGBTQIA+) population (including other identities represented by the ‘+’ sign) in the UK experiences significant physical and mental health inequalities compared to the general population. These inequalities extend from increased risk factors for ill health and barriers to accessing healthcare and support, to discrimination against LGBTQIA+ staff within the workplace.
SEL ICB will be implementing the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Inclusion Framework which has been endorsed by the Equalities Sub-Committee chaired by the Chief of Staff and Equalities Senior Responsible Officer. Implementation for this will begin imminently with some mapping work already undertaken by our LGBTQ+ staff network.
EDI Training and Development
SEL ICB has mandatory equalities training in place for all staff. In addition to this mandatory training, we have undertaken a number of other training interventions across a range of protected characteristics.
The ICB is in the process of developing a mandatory equality impact assessment training programme for rollout across the organisation.
Staff Networks and Champions
SEL ICB has made significant progress in implementing and developing our staff networks, who work on both action-focused topics related to their expertise, as well as HR policies, staff engagement, and health and wellbeing. The following staff networks have been established at the ICB:
- Embracing Race and Diversity
- LGBTQ+
- Age and Ability
- Women Parent and Carers
Equalities in Recruitment Working Group
The Group is looking at what more we can do to ‘de-bias’ the recruitment process, supporting SEL ICB to take a creative, innovative approach to recruiting new staff and developing its current staff.
Listening to the lived experiences of our staff are a key aspect of the group and will support us to proactively identify and improve ICB processes and practices and share learning across the wider South East London Integrated Care System. Representation includes members of our Embracing Race and Diversity and LGBTQ+ staff networks.
Looking at recruitment, career development and talent management activities for the ICB also supports us to fulfil our commitments towards the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES), NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES), and Gender Pay Gap.
