🏳️‍🌈Equality & Diversity

Communication

For people with physical, cognitive, or sensory disabilities and people who do not speak or read English, information should be provided in a way that is suited to the individual’s requirements and enables them to participate as partners in decisions about their health or social care. Schools will be involved to help in this regard.

If the service user does not have sufficient understanding of English and the member of staff does not speak their language, it may be necessary to involve an interpreter (should one be available) to assist when giving information. The telephone interpreting service Language Line is available to all Trust staff for short conversations or face-to-face interpreters - including a sign language interpreter - can be arranged. The HPFT Policy On 'Communicating with Individuals from Diverse Communities' provides guidance and the procedure for accessing the interpreting service. It is not good practice to use families, (especially children aged 16 or under), to act as interpreters for healthcare information.

Embedding a culture of equality and respect

The Trust promotes fairness and respect in relation to the treatment, care, and support of service users, carers, and staff. Respect means ensuring that the needs of ‘protected groups’ are always upheld and individually assessed on entry to the service. This includes the needs of people based on their:

Working in this way builds a culture where service users can flourish and be fully involved in their care and where staff and carers receive appropriate support. Where discrimination, inappropriate behaviour or some other barrier occurs, the Trust expects the full cooperation of staff in addressing and recording these issues through appropriate Trust processes.

Access to and provision of services must therefore take full account of needs relating to all protected groups listed above and care and support for service users, carers and staff should be planned that considers individual needs. Where staff need further information regarding these groups, they should speak to their manager or a member of the Trust Inclusion & Engagement Team. Where service users and carers experience barriers to accessing services, the Trust is required to take appropriate remedial action.