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Equality Impact Assessment

The role of EQIA is also to promote equality of opportunity and to identify any discrimination – institutional or otherwise – that may exist in any policy and to implement actions or steps to eliminate that discrimination. As part of effective policy development processes, it is important for NHS boards (public sector bodies), via the EQIA process, to consider any potential risks or discrimination inherent in policies or functions and to identify actions to be taken to remove discrimination.

EQIA can help NHS Scotland staff provide and deliver excellent services by making sure that policies and services reflect the different needs of all people and communities can benefit from those policies within a health board region.

By conducting EQIAs, the NHS can ensure that its policies and services fulfil the requirements of anti-discrimination and equalities legislation, as set out for race, disability and gender. As a matter of good practice, health boards are also required to consider age, religion or belief and sexual orientation and the aspect of human rights, when undertaking equality impact assessment.

Equality impact assessment can be used to address some of the following health inequalities:

• In Scotland, there is a disabled person or person with a long-term illness living in just over one in three households.
• Over 50% of disabled people rated their health over the past 5 years as being not good compared to 5% of non-disabled people (Social Focus on Disability 2004).
• One in five disabled Scots has experienced harassment because of their disability.
• Women are more likely than men to make a quit attempt with an NHS smoking cessation service. The older age groups were also more likely to attempt to quit. The largest number of quit attempts were made by people living in the 'most deprived' areas in Scotland (NHS Smoking Cessation Service Statistics (Scotland) 1 January – 31 December2008).
• Men continue to take up primary healthcare services at lower rates than women and continue to experience poorer outcomes in some areas of health, including higher rates of cancer and heart disease.
• Women prisoners, who comprise only 5% of the prison population, have exceptionally high levels of health needs. For example 98% of the women in Cornton Vale have addiction problems, 80% have mental health problems, 70% have been abused and around 50% self harm (Equally Well, 2008).
• In 2008, the suicide rate for males was over three times that for females and Scotland’s suicide rate is higher than rates in other parts of the UK
• Women are more likely to experience domestic abuse and incidents of violence against women are known to be under reported. (Fair for All – Gender, 2006)
• Same sex domestic violence is as common as heterosexual domestic violence.
• 17% of Scottish lesbian and bisexual women between the ages of 25 and 64 have never had a smear test, compared to 7% of women in general (Stonewall Scotland, 2008).
• In a Stonewall Survey of 6000 lesbian women, 50% have had a negative experience of the health service.
• Transgender people experience high levels of discrimination with direct impacts on mental health (Dimensions of Diversity, 2010).

Last reviewed 1 August 2010