NHS equality toolkit refresh

The Equality Delivery System (EDS) toolkit, designed to ensure NHS organisations deliver services that are free of discrimination and meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, has been refreshed.

EDS2 is designed to be more streamlined and simpler to use, aligning it with NHS England’s commitment to an inclusive NHS that is fair and accessible to all.

The EDS was rolled out to the NHS in July 2011 and formally launched in November 2011. It is currently being implemented by the vast majority of NHS organisations across England.

The design and implementation of the EDS was independently evaluated by Shared Intelligence in 2012. Based on this evaluation and subsequent engagement with a spread of NHS organisations and stakeholders, a refreshed EDS is now available. It is known as EDS2.

The main purpose of the EDS was, and remains, to help local NHS organisations, in discussion with local partners including local populations, review and improve their performance for people with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.

By using the EDS, NHS organisations can also be helped to deliver on the public sector Equality Duty (PSED). EDS2 is more streamlined and simpler to use compared with the original EDS. It is aligned to NHS England’s commitment to an inclusive NHS that is fair and accessible to all.

For further information and to download the toolkit visit www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/gov/edc/eds.