Introduction and Background
The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on progress against the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) indicators and propose future actions which form part of the Trust’s Equality Objectives and overarching Diversity & Inclusion work plan for 2020-21 and beyond.
The WRES was first mandated in July 2015 to ensure employees from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds have equal access to career opportunities and receive fair treatment in the workplace. This standard works alongside the Equality Delivery System (EDS2) to help review performance, set equality objectives and deliver on the Public Sector Equality Duty.
To put the WRES into context, the NHS People plan states; ‘to embed the important interventions that improve the experience of our people, we will develop a new offer with our people setting out explicitly the support they can expect from the NHS as a modern employer’. This will be framed around the broad themes of creating a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture, enabling great development and fulfilling careers, and ensuring everyone feels they have voice, control and influence. The interim plan then expands on ‘Creating a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture’ by setting out ‘action to improve equality will need to run through all elements of the work on this new offer.
This will include further action to embed the Workforce Race Equality Standard…..’.