1. NHS WORKFORCE RACE EQUALITY STANDARD (WRES)
 OUR PLEDGE
‘Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of East Cheshire NHS Trust values and behaviours and fundamental to the delivery of our Workforce & OD strategy. We strive to develop a workforce which enables us to deliver a more inclusive service and improve patient care.  East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to creating a working environment where all people feel safe, included and accepted. Equality, diversity & inclusion (ED&I) is the ‘golden thread’ running through our wellbeing and engagement plan to develop a fair workplace where difference is recognised and valued and everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential’
- East Cheshire NHS Trust Engagement, Wellbeing & Inclusion Group
A key focus of the CQC is the organisation’s commitment to taking action to create and manage a positive culture. The well-led domain looks at whether the leadership, management and governance of an organisation assures the delivery of high-quality person-centred care, supports learning and innovation and promotes an open and fair culture.
Work is part of the Workforce Engagement & Wellbeing Plan. Assurance is provided to FPW via WODSB
2019 WRES ANALYSIS
September 2019
Programme Lead: Sara Copestake, Workforce Lead

2. What is the Workforce Race Equality Standard? (WRES)
The WRES is a national system, part of the standard NHS contract, where all NHS organisations are required to demonstrate how they are addressing race equality issues across a range of staffing areas.
Intentions of the WRES
Enabling people to work comfortably with race equality, changing deep rooted cultures of race inequality in the system.
Embedding continuous accountability to ensure key policies have race equality built into their core, so that eventually it becomes everyday business.
Mandating NHS organisations to show progress against a number of indicators of workforce equality, including a specific indicator to address the low numbers of BME board members across the organisation.
Improving performance for people with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 alongside the Equality and Diversity Systems (EDS2) 
Helping NHS organisations to deliver on the Public Sector Equality Duty

3. Overall Workforce Equality Position Summary
Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES)
The trust can report some progress on last year’s position in relation to recruitment practices and access to training. The gap between white staff and BME staff has however widened, and the position worsened, in relation to BME staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from service users and discrimination at work from manager / team leader or other colleagues. The position has however improved in relation to the equal opportunities for career progression or promotion; the likelihood of being appointed from shortlisting; and disciplinary processes. There remains work to do and this is reflected in our priorities.
Equality Delivery System (EDS2)
Overall, the trust is ‘Achieving’. Proposals are in place to change EDS this year to focus on (1) Pay, (2) Abuse, Harassment & Bullying, (3) Equal Opportunities, (4) recommendation of place to work or receive treatment and (5) inclusive leadership; across all protected characteristics. The Board have shown commitment to workforce equality by appointing a Director of Workforce Diversity & Inclusion. A number of priorities have been agreed to make a positive difference to the experience of staff with protected characteristics and our Workforce Equality Objectives seek to;
Improve the working lives of staff who have disabilities
Improve the working lives of BME staff
Improve the diversity of our leadership
Improve the position as identified by the gender pay gap report
Improve the working lives of male staff
Take steps to become an LGBT friendly workplace
Gender Pay Gap
Gender pay gap reporting indicates that overall, there has been some positive movement in reducing the gap, however the overall position is impacted greatly by senior medical & dental roles, where women are underrepresented. A recent audit of the trust’s CEA award process provided assurance of proportionality in relation to applications, panel membership and successful applications. The actions were incorporated into the annual workforce engagement, wellbeing and inclusion plan for this year
NHS National staff survey 2018
Overall, the feedback from staff improved however there are gaps in workforce satisfaction relating to protected characteristics, which have had a negative impact on this year’s WRES (and WDES) reporting. Actions relating to improving the working lives of our staff remain a priority and are being incorporated into the annual workforce engagement, wellbeing and inclusion plan for 2020/21.
Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES)
In our ambition to promote disability as an asset, we achieved Disability Confident Level 3 and have done specific work in relation to supporting autism in the workplace. The new WDES puts a greater expectation to employ a higher percentage of staff with disabilities, and also reviews the experience of staff with disabilities. Our first WDES report is being prepared.

4. WRES Comparison 2018 v 2019
No.
Indicator Theme
Trust Findings 2018
Trust Findings 2019 1
Percentage of staff in each of the AfC Bands 1– 9 and VSM (including Exec Board members) compared with the percentage of staff in the overall workforce
Progress was made in closing gaps for BME staff; particularly at AFC grades 4, 6, 7 & Consultant / Non Consultant Career grades. There remains limited BME representation at Band 8 and above. Please see second worksheet for detail at each grade
Further progress has been made in closing gaps for BME staff; particularly at AFC grades 4, 6, 7. There has however been an increase in staff not declaring their ethnicity at Bands 5, 7 and 8c. The profile for Consultant / Non Consultant Career grades remains consistent 2
Relative likelihood of staff being appointed from shortlisting across all posts
The relative likelihood of white staff being appointed from shortlisting, compared to BME staff was 0.97 times greater
The relative likelihood of white staff being appointed from shortlisting, compared to BME staff has reduced by 0.85 3
Relative likelihood of staff entering the formal disciplinary process, as measured by entry into a formal disciplinary investigation
The relative likelihood of BME staff entering a formal disciplinary process, compared to white staff was 1.37 times greater
The relative likelihood of BME staff entering a formal disciplinary process, compared to white staff has reduced by 1.35 4
Relative likelihood of staff accessing non mandatory training and CPD
The relative likelihood of white staff accessing training activity, compared to BME staff was 0.98 times greater
The relative likelihood of white staff accessing training activity, compared to BME staff has reduced by 0.94
2019 v 2018 Position
Gap continues to reduce - improved position on 2018
The gap has reduced - improved position on 2018
9. Same position - no BME Representation on the Board
Data for the above indicators is taken from workforce information systems such as ESR, NHS Jobs and the Employee Relations casework database.

5. Staff Survey respondents
WRES Comparison 2018 v 2019
The following four indicators are taken directly from the national NHS Staff Survey KF25; KF26; KF21 and Q17 and therefore represents the perception / experience of staff. In 2018, the trust reported a decline in the WRES position. The latest staff survey (October 2018) for ECT demonstrates that BME staff have an engagement score of 7.3; this is higher than the trust & national average however, there has been a deterioration in some of the areas specifically measured by the WRES.
No.
Indicator Theme
Trust Findings 2018
Trust Findings 2019 5
KF 25. Percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or the public in last 12 months
BME staff reported 34% in comparison to white staff reporting 26%. The gap between BME and white staff increased in 2018 to 8%.
BME staff report 41% in comparison to white staff reporting 27%. The gap between BME and white staff has therefore increased further to 14% 6
KF 26. Percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in last 12 months
BME staff reported 25% in comparison to white staff reporting 23%. The gap between BME staff and white staff remained stable at 2%.
BME staff report 31% in comparison to white staff who report 21%. The gap between BME staff has increased to 10% 7
KF 21. Percentage believing that trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion
BME staff reported a statistically worsened position at 80% (an 8% reduction) whilst the position for white staff remained stable at 90%.
BME staff report an increased and therefore more positive position of 83% and the position for white staff remains unchanged at 90%. The gap has therefore reduced from 10% to 7% 8
Q17. In the last 12 months have you personally experienced discrimination at work from any of the following? b) Manager / team leader or other colleagues
BME staff reported 11% in comparison to white staff reporting 4% demonstrating a gap of 7%.
BME staff report 18% in comparison to White staff reporting 4%, increasing the gap to 14%.
Staff Survey respondents
BME
BME
White
White
Overall Staff engagement
BME
BME
White
White
White: 1% increase - worsened position; BME: 7% increase - worsened position
White: 2% decrease - improved position; BME: 6% increase - worsened position
White: no change; BME: 3% increase - improved position
White: no change; BME: 7% increase - worsened position

6. What we have been doing…
Process followed to appoint non-executive director (July 2019) was developed to reduce the opportunity for unconscious bias.
Appointment of Director to lead on Workforce Diversity & Inclusion.
Quarterly newsletter, embedding inclusion into workforce engagement and wellbeing.
Adapted the Staff Awards categories to include recognition of how individuals support an inclusive culture.
Partnership Forum Development work
The trust is continuing to be part of the NHS Employers ED&I Alumni group and the Cheshire & Merseyside ED&I Steering Group to share best practice; resources; streamline working etc.
Continued improvement in workplace policy assurance, including the embedding of Equality Impact Assessments
What success will also look like…
Reduction in sickness absence
Staff who feel safe at work and equipped to challenge verbal abuse from service users; plus improved levels of reporting of incidents – link to tackling bullying call to action project
Last year’s ambitions…
personal discrimination at work (KF20) – the gap has increased by 5%
equal opportunities for career progression or promotion (KF21) – the gap has increased by 7%
experience of bullying, harassment and abuse (KF26) – the gap has not changed

7. WRES Action Plan
Our ambition is to reduce the gap between BME staff and trust average in relation to the following specific elements of the national NHS staff survey:
personal discrimination at work (Q17)
experience of bullying, harassment and abuse (KF25 & 26)
equal opportunities for career progression or promotion (KF21)
We wish to maintain engagement with the workforce, developing the Engagement, Wellbeing & Inclusion plan to ensure that our work is evidence based and reflects the findings of the EDS, WRES and the experience of staff with protected characteristics as outlined in the staff survey.
We will continue to maximise opportunities for partnership working both locally and regionally to promote inclusivity and develop staff networks, developing HR services to ensure that inclusivity, disclosure and ECT values are promoted at every opportunity
Targeted Actions:
Development of staff forum with representation from staff with protected characteristics to build engagement with BME staff and staff with other protected characteristics (Q4 2019/20)
Roll out patient / service users anti-bullying posters commencing with AICC Directorate (Q4 2019/2020)
Hold BME engagement event to identify priorities for 2020/2021 (Q4 2019/20)
Unconscious bias training pilot with view to wider roll-out (Q4 2019/2020)
Ensure that due regard is given to inclusive working environments within the new Workforce Strategy and Directorate workforce plans (Q4 2019/20)
Perform an equal pay audit which incorporates race equality (Q1 2020/21)
Launch #100Faces campaign (Q1 2020/21)

8. Risks Risk Description Current Score
(2652) If staff do not have confidence in how the trust deals with personal and sensitive information, then they will be reluctant to disclose their personal characteristics. As a result, reporting / action planning may be based on statistically compromised data, which will have a particular impact on the equality delivery system and standards that we are required to report on 9
(2653) If there is a lack of engagement or support at a senior and directorate level to support training activity, engagement events and the development of networks which support positive action in relation to inclusion, then the Trust will be unable to demonstrate year on year progress towards inclusion objectives 12