Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessments (EHIAs)

Equality and Health Inequalities Assessments (EHIAs) help us meet our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

They support us to give due regard to the potential impact of decisions on people with protected characteristics and on communities affected by health inequalities. This includes considering how proposals may affect access to services, experiences and outcomes.

At North London NHS Foundation Trust, EHIAs are intended to begin at the earliest stage of a proposal and continue throughout the life of the work. They are live documents which should be updated as plans develop.

Our EHIA process is supported by guidance and a six-step approach which considers:

1. What you want to do?
2. What information do you have?
3. Who might the proposal impact?
4. Due Regard and Impact
5. Rationale and Action plan
6. Sign off 

It is good practice for EHIAs to be completed with input from a range of people, including colleagues with knowledge of the proposal, the service area and the communities who may be affected.

All staff completing EHIAs are expected to attend one of our EHIA Masterclasses. Completed assessments are reviewed by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team, who support authors to strengthen the quality of the assessment before approval by the relevant Senior Responsible Officer (SRO).

Papers submitted to committees for decision include a summary of EHIA findings so that equality and health inequalities are actively considered as part of decision-making.

For more information about our EHIAs, or if you would like to request a copy of a particular assessment, please contact the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team: nlft.equalityimpactassessments@nhs.net