Socio-economic duty will bring equality of opportunity into sharp focus

Equality of opportunity can only be achieved in this country if we first identify the barriers that exist and then put in place measures that overcome them. In many cases this will require a very different way of working, and include monitoring, so real progress can be measured and made.

It is well-established that socio-economic factors play an important part in an individual’s access to opportunity, and the new Government has signalled its intention to trigger the socio-economic duty of the Equality Act 2010. This section of the Act will require public bodies to adopt transparent and effective measures to address the inequalities that result from differences in occupation, education, place of residence or socio-economic background.

It will be a significant change for NHS Trusts and other health and social care providers. We know that socioeconomic background affects career progression more than gender or ethnicity alone. The Purpose Coalition is already working with Trusts and health and social care providers across the country to deliver a positive social impact for their patients, their staff and the communities they serve. Although they are recruiting a more diverse workforce, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are not necessarily moving up the career ladder. We waste talent when we allow barriers to get in the way of progress, so the Coalition is working with them to ensure that a person’s chance to get on is based on their job performance and potential, not where they started out in life.

People encounter a range of barriers that prevent progression: where they went to school, college or university; their family and friends’ connections; educational connections; shared social and cultural experiences; and their lack of confidence in an environment where they don’t feel they fit in. There can also be less access to senior sponsors, opaque processes around work allocation and promotion and an historically biased workplace culture.

Many of the health and social care providers we work with can already demonstrate a range of best practice that will help to address socio-economic discrimination in health and social care. Sharing those practices will help others in their social mobility journey. But planning for the future will also be key, with help targeted towards their people, their supply chains and their communities which focuses on key action areas if they are to meet the challenges of the new socio-economic duty.

Tracking and measuring progress is a vital part of making progress so there needs to be clarity about what works best. It can be mapped through the 15 Purpose Goals which provide a structured framework that organisations can use as a focus for their efforts. The Goals identify the key barriers to opportunity, encompassing a broad range of societal and economic issues, from early childhood development to workplace inclusivity. But any plan of action can only work if there is clear data collection and analysis and there should be a baseline assessment to better understand where progress is needed. It is important that the current ways of working are addressed to reduce the barriers that exist, and a plan made so that successful interventions can be made.

Health and social care providers have struggled for many years with recruitment. A focus on removing the barriers that stand in the way of people from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds being able to access not just entry level jobs but also progression will help some of the staffing challenges providers face and will also support their local communities. Providers should also develop transparent and inclusive recruitment processes and define clear criteria for career progression, focusing on performance and potential rather than background, to enable them to progress to more senior levels so that their workforce better reflects the communities in which they work.

Finally, providers will need to establish a framework for ongoing monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of the plans they introduce so that they can evaluate progress and outcomes. The best will create mechanisms for receiving and incorporating feedback from their staff and stakeholders.

One of our Purpose Coalition members, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, is leading the way on socio-economic reporting. It has committed to producing one of the first socio-economic plans with the Coalition to provide it with greater insight on how, as a healthcare organisation, it can support socioeconomic diversity and social mobility across the urban and rural communities it serves. It benefits from their partnership not just with other NHS Trusts and health organisations but also with other organisations who are seeking to address challenges of inequality, sharing good practice and developing solutions.

There is a lot of work ahead, but it is crucial that we explore the role that socio-economic diversity plays in improving healthcare outcomes and fostering an inclusive work environment. The important first step is for health and social care providers to identify the gaps in their workforce and implement the plans that will ensure equal opportunities for all. A more inclusive and equitable health and social care system benefits not only the providers themselves but also the communities they serve.