EQIA Pre-Meeting Checklist
This is the information that should be gathered before the EQIA meeting to look at how the piece of work being assessed impacts on people.
It is the responsibility of the person co-ordinating or chairing the meeting to bring all this information together in consultation with other group members.
This checklist covers step one and step two of the EQIA
Step One What are we impact assessing?
(The information included in completing step one will also be included as part of the EQIA summary on line)
1.Name of piece of work
Occupational Therapy Criteria Guide- Formally agreed aims and objectives of the service/project/policy
The guidelines do not replace professional judgement, they should;
Ensure a more consistent service (providing an equality of service across geography, a standardised and focussed provision)
Improve OT practice (quality assurance)
Provide back up over how decisions are made (accountability)
Taking best practice forward
- Description of the piece of work – What is it? What does it do? Who does it? And who is it for?
Guidelines relating to criteria for the recommendation of various types of adaptations/alterations in the homes of children and adults with disabilities and guidelines relating to criteria for the provision of certain types of equipment for children and adults with disabilities.
4.What are the outcomes of the piece of work? – What will happen as a result of it? Who benefits from it and how?
As listed at point 2:The guidelines do not replace professional judgement, they should;
Ensure a more consistent service
Improve OT practice (quality assurance)
Provide back up over how decisions are made (accountability)
Staff benefit from a system that clarifies and supports decision making.
Patients receiving a service benefit from transparent decision making
Step Two What data and information do we already have?
1.What evidence (local, national research, service reports, data etc) if any do you already have about how this piece of work impacts on people from equality groups?(See description of groups in section n)This information will also be used in “step three – looking at impacts”
No information relating to specific equality groups. Guidance developed form range of local and national documents2. Have any community groups, other public bodies or voluntary sector
organisations been involved in developing or reviewing this piece of work so far?
Please give details of the groups involved and how they were involved
Small group of Occupational Therapists leading in the development of guidelines with involvement from colleagues in other services as part of the single shared assessment3. Why is this piece of work being impact assessed now? Please tick one box
New piece of work / / Existing piece of work / Annual review / Other1
Description of impactDetail groups affected,
Positive or negative effect?
Description of the issue
Any direct or indirect discrimination / What change/s can be made?
What change are you recommending?
How will the change make a difference to people?
Will there be any social or financial costs?
Who will be responsible for putting the change in place?
Neutral effect
Under the general section of the guidance (point14) the document refers to equal opportunities. / The document should refer at this point to “equality of opportunity” not e equal opportunities. This term more clearly refers to the responsibility of the service to meet the needs of people from different equality groups.
In order to make this a more positive effect and provide staff with clear information it is recommended that point 14 should read as follows;
“In accordance with equalities legislation and good practice it is the responsibility of the member of staff to ensure that they are aware of any specific needs of the patient/client. This includes asking about any interpreting requirements or other specific communication needs as well as any cultural needs that may impact on care. This informationshould be obtained by asking the client rather than based on any assumptions made by the professional.”
Neutral effect
In the section on Relevant legislation (pages 12 and13) there is reference to a range of legislation relating to practice. The Disability Discrimination Act has since been updated and includes more specific duties and greater number of duties for the NHS. / The document should read on page 12 “The
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Amendment 2005
Positive effect
Using the guidance will decrease negative stigma for adults and young people with disabilities by providing a transparent process for providing support required to enhance lifestyle through increased independence and
increased opportunity to participate in social activities.
Description of impact
Detail groups affected,
Positive or negative effect?
Description of the issue
Any direct or indirect discrimination / What change/s can be made?
What change are you recommending?
How will the change make a difference to people?
Will there be any social or financial costs?
Who will be responsible for putting the change in place?
Positive Impact
By providing standardised guidance across the geography it is anticipated that any variations in provision because of rurality will be highlighted and resolved more effectively.
Potentially negative impact
Although there is nothing within the guidance that points to direct discrimination, the document does not reflect any good practice in relation to working with Gypsy Travellers. During the EQIA some anecdotal examples of good practice were described, it would be beneficial to include some references to this work in the document to ensure that such practice is delivered as standard. / Although the reference to equality of opportunity will also cover addressing the needs of Gypsy Travellers, the specific needs of this group may mean adaptations to living spaces will be specific and unique. In order to recognise this it is recommended that an additional point is added to the “Adaptations “section to read;
“The lifestyle of the Gypsy Traveller Community may mean that standard adaptations will have to be reviewed and in discussion with the client a most appropriate alternative approach taken to ensure that the needs of the individual can be met.”
This will encapsulate and highlight existing good practice to all staff.
Positive impact on staff, service users and carers
The guidance is seen as providing guidance for staff in providing adaptations in an appropriate and fair way and providing service users and carers with a clearer understanding of how and why decisions are made.
It was also noted that the guidance will be included in training for newly qualified OTs
Potentially negative Impact
The guidance does not make any reference to potential discrimination on the grounds of gender or sexual orientation. Although the EQIA did not highlight any specific practice examples of discrimination it is seen as best practice to ensure that staff are aware of the potential impact of language and expectations when not checked out with the service user. / It is recommended that information about the gender duty and sexual orientation regulations should be included within the section on Legislation, specifically Human Rights Legislation (page 13). Proposed addition as follows;
“The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 – protect individuals from direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, in the provision of goods, facilities, services, education, disposal and management of premises and the exercise of public functions.
The Gender Equality Duty [GED] 2007 - requires public authorities to promote gender equality and eliminate sex discrimination. Instead of depending on individuals making complaints about sex discrimination, the duty places the legal responsibility on public authorities including the NHS to demonstrate that they treat men and women fairly.”
It is also recommended that Occupational Therapists are provided with training and awareness raising on these new requirements and broader equality and diversity issues. This training can be provided by the Equality and Diversity Policy Development Managers as half or full day sessions as required by contacting Marie Gilbert Team Administrator on 01463 704826.
Potentially negative impact
Within the section on Basic operational standards and procedures (page 5) point 5 the document states that the service user will be “informed in writing”.. Although the ethos of keeping the service user involved is recognised as a positive factor, the document does not refer to meeting the needs of people for whom English is not a first language including Deaf People who use British Sign language. Although this group may be small, it may be that the method of communication is preventing them from engaging in the process rather than a choice not to do so. A similar issue is raised in relation to point 10 of the same section. / It is recommended that the following additions should be included
In point 5. The service user and referrer should be informed in writing “in the appropriate language or with other communication support as required”, within 10 working days,…
In point 10 The written agreement and permission of the service user “with appropriate communication support as required”, should be sought….
Description of impact
Detail groups affected,
Positive or negative effect?
Description of the issue
Any direct or indirect discrimination / What change/s can be made?
What change are you recommending?
How will the change make a difference to people?
Will there be any social or financial costs?
Who will be responsible for putting the change in place?
Potential negative impact
From an equality and diversity perspective it is recognised and indeed welcomed that individual need will require individual solutions. But the section on page 10 in “Notes for Occupational Therapists” states that discretion will need to be exercised. It is possible that this may be misinterpreted and could be problematic if this flexibility to meet individual need is not recorded and made transparent if required. For example if concerns were raised by a service user in terms of potential discrimination it would be essential that any decision making process could be explained. / It is recommended that an addition be made to the statement as follows
“There will always be exceptions to guidelines, particularly in complex cases, when discretion will need to be exercised. Discussion with senior members of staff should help to resolve these issues. “A clear record of such decision should be maintained In order to ensure that staff are able to provide evidence of decision making required to meet individual need.”
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Step five – Further information to check recommendedchanges
- Please use the table below to recordany extra information needed to verify the recommended changes.
a. Table for recording details about further information required to inform proposed changes
Do you need to get any further information, in order to eithera) inform any of the proposed changes?
or
b) to verify any impacts or key issues?
Such information might be existing research, data from services, consultation with equality groups or other people who use services / (Please tick one box)
YesNo
If “yes” please provide details below including name of person responsible for getting
the information. And the date by which such information will be provided
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b. please provide details of the individuals who took part in the EQIA Group
Details of members of the EQIA groupName / Title / Email or telephone contact
Shirley McHugh / Area Manager Physical Disability/Sensory Impairment /
Claire Wood / Professional Head of Service Occupational Therapy /
Esther Dickinson / Policy Development Manager /
Natalie Morel / Policy Development Manager /
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