Equality in 2023: how DHSC met the public sector equality duty
Published 10 October 2024
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About this report
The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 requires relevant public bodies, including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), to publish information at least annually to show how they comply with the public sector equality duty, and to set and publish equality objectives at least every 4 years.
This report is split into 2 sections. Section 1 lists DHSC’s equality objectives and gives an overview of the work that the department has done to comply with the public sector equality duty for our public policies.
Section 2 outlines our compliance with the public sector equality duty in relation to our workforce and our shared commitment for the Civil Service to become the UK’s most inclusive employer. The section also sets out our current workforce data, and how we are using data and evidence to inform our activities.
Both sections cover the reporting period from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.
Introduction
DHSC helps people to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. As guardians of the health and care system, it is our job to ensure that the system delivers the best possible health and care outcomes for the people of England.
The public sector equality duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 is a key lever for ensuring that public bodies, like DHSC, take account of equality when shaping policy and delivering services. Policymakers and decision-makers, including ministers, must have due regard to the following 3 equality aims in the duty when developing or changing any policies or services that impact people to:
- eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the act
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it
- foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it
Documentation detailing how decisions have been reached is required to demonstrate compliance under the duty, including a record of how a policy was considered under the specific matters set out in section 149 of the act. When introducing new programmes and/or making a major amendment to an existing programme, DHSC carries out an equality impact assessment.
Advancing equality of opportunity involves:
- considering how our decisions can remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
- taking steps to meet the needs of people who share a particular protected characteristic and where those needs are different from the needs of those who do not share that protected characteristic
- encouraging people with particular protected characteristics to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low
The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- pregnancy and maternity status
- race
- religion or belief (including lack of belief)
- sex
- sexual orientation
- marriage and civil partnership status (only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
We know that a person’s protected characteristics can interact with, and impact on, their experiences. As such, taking an intersectional approach - that is, looking at a combination of protected characteristics - can give an organisation a better understanding of people’s experiences and outcomes. Where such evidence is available, this can inform better policymaking and delivery, as well as improve the understanding of diversity in an organisation, and inform diversity and inclusion action plans.
DHSC also extends its equal opportunities policies and practices for its employees to other characteristics not covered by the Equality Act, namely working patterns, caring responsibilities, geographical location and socio-economic background. DHSC is required to have regard to issues such as geographical and socio-economic status in its public policies through the Secretary of State’s duty regarding health inequalities.
The equality duty aims to get public bodies to consider equality as part of their day-to-day business. It requires organisations to consider how they can contribute to advancing equality in the design of their policies and the delivery of services. Decisions taken without considering their impact on different groups are unlikely to have the intended effect, and may lead to greater disparities and poorer outcomes. However, carefully considering equality issues also makes good business sense as organisations that meet the diverse needs of their users and employees are likely to achieve their objectives more effectively.
1. Equality in our policies
This section provides evidence to demonstrate compliance with the equality duty in the period from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.
It covers a broad selection of DHSC’s work and policies. This aims to give a sense of what the department has done and is not intended to cover all areas of work. Information on other work and policies may also be included in reports by our arm’s length bodies (ALBs) or other government departments where they lead on particular issues.
Mental health
Work is ongoing across DHSC and its ALBs at both national and local levels to tackle disparities in the way that people from different ethnic groups or with other protected characteristics access mental health services, and their experiences of them.
Improving mental health and wellbeing
In May 2023, DHSC published the results of its public mental health and wellbeing plan call for evidence, which sought views on what could be done to improve everyone’s mental health and wellbeing.
The department launched a £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund in August 2023, making funding available to voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE) organisations focused on supporting priority groups and reducing inequalities.
Alongside this, DHSC launched a new 5-year Suicide prevention strategy for England: 2023 to 2028 in September 2023 with the ambition to reduce the suicide rate within 2.5 years.
Draft Mental Health Bill
During 2022, the Draft Mental Health Bill underwent pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill, and the committee published its report in January 2023. The bill aimed to improve autonomy, rights and support for patients, emphasising dignity and respect throughout treatment.
Advocacy pilots
DHSC piloted models of culturally appropriate advocacy in Birmingham and Solihull and Greater Manchester. These pilots explored opportunities to improve experiences and outcomes for people from ethnic minority groups who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, including through testing models of advocacy provision that specifically acknowledge and address differing cultural needs and preferences.
Patient and carer race equality framework
NHS England developed a Patient and carer race equality framework, published in autumn 2023, to support mental health trusts in providing culturally competent services, addressing inequalities, and improving access, experience and outcomes for people from ethnic minorities and marginalised communities.
Women’s health
In the UK, women have a longer life expectancy than men, with life expectancy at birth being 82.6 years for women and 78.6 years for men from 2020 to 2022 (see Office for National Statistics (ONS) national life tables 2020 to 2022). Women spend on average over a quarter of their lives in ill health or disability, compared with around a fifth for men. However, in recent years, healthy life expectancy has fallen for women but has remained stable for men.
DHSC is dedicated to advancing women’s health through comprehensive policies and initiatives. These include commitments to improve access to quality healthcare, promote research on women’s health issues and address gender-specific health disparities.
Women’s health hubs
In 2023, £25 million was invested in women’s health hubs. This funding has been distributed equally across all integrated care boards (ICBs).
Hubs can improve women’s access to and experiences of care, improve their health outcomes, and reduce health inequalities. Some hubs also offered virtual services that women could access in a place that suits them, at times convenient to them. Many ICBs targeted specific population groups, including ethnic minority women, disabled women, and lesbian and bisexual women.
Network of Women’s Health Champions
The Network of Women’s Health Champions was established in July 2023, which brought together leaders in women’s health from each integrated care system (ICS). The network was co-chaired by the Women’s Health Ambassador for England, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, and the NHS England Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Charlotte McArdle.
Hormone replacement therapy pre-payment certificate
The menopause was a priority area within the Women’s Health Strategy for England and the NHS had implemented a programme of work that improved menopause care so that all women could access the support they need.
In April 2023, DHSC reduced the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women through the HRT prescription prepayment certificate, allowing women to pay under £20 for all their listed HRT prescriptions for the year.
The Pharmacy Contraception Service
The NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service was launched in April 2023, which enabled pharmacists to issue ongoing supplies of contraception initiated in GP surgeries and sexual health services.
Pregnancy and maternity
DHSC supports pregnancy and maternity by offering prenatal care programmes, ensuring access to maternal healthcare services and providing resources for parenting education. These initiatives aim to promote healthy pregnancies, safe deliveries, and the wellbeing of both mothers and infants.
Maternity disparities
The Maternity Disparities Taskforce was established in February 2022, and brought together experts from across the health service, government and the voluntary sector. The taskforce explored and considered evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.
Local maternity and neonatal systems published equity and equality actions plans, in line with NHS England’s national equity and equality guidance, to reduce disparities for women and babies from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas.
Disabilities
DHSC recognises that disabled people, autistic people and people with learning disabilities face significant health inequalities, and continues to progress work aimed at tackling those disparities and improving health and care outcomes.
National autism strategy
In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways along with accompanying operational guidance setting out the process of how children, young people and adults might receive an autism assessment. In addition, NHS England published guidance on executive lead roles in ICBs stating that every ICB must have a board-level executive lead for learning disability and autism.
DHSC invested £2.5 million in 2022 to 2023 to test and embed improved autism diagnostic pathways, reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in mental health inpatient settings.
The Building the Right Support Action Plan was published in 2022 with the aim of bringing together actions from across government and public services to drive progress in reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in mental health hospitals, by supporting people to live well in their communities.
In the financial year 2022 to 2023, DHSC invested over £90 million in community services and support for discharges specifically for people with a learning disability and autistic people. In 2023 to 2024, the department invested an additional £121 million in learning disability and autism services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, including funding for community support and for children and young people keyworkers.
The Building the Right Support Delivery Board was responsible for overseeing implementation of the Building the Right Support action plan. The board included representatives from across government, the health and care sector, and experts by experience.
Statutory training on learning disability and autism
From 1 July 2022, the Health and Care Act 2022 required Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered care providers to ensure staff received specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. Under the legislation, a code of practice was issued to guide providers on how to meet this legal requirement. DHSC ran a public consultation on the Oliver McGowan draft code of practice between June and October 2023.
Down Syndrome Act
The Down Syndrome Act 2022 was developed to improve outcomes for people with Down’s syndrome and imposed a duty on the Secretary of State to give statutory guidance to relevant authorities (health, social care, education and housing) about how to meet the needs of people with Down’s syndrome. DHSC conducted a national call for evidence to inform the guidance, which received wide-ranging stakeholder engagement, including responses from people with Down’s syndrome, their families and carers, professionals, and organisations.
Thalidomide Health Grant
In 2023, DHSC agreed a 4-year grant of around £10 million per year to support people affected by Thalidomide. This followed a 10-year grant issued in 2012.
The Thalidomide Health Grant, which is administrated by the Thalidomide Trust, is made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs of people affected by Thalidomide, especially as they get older. The funding aimed to help individuals personalise the way their health and care needs are met, maintain independence and minimise any further deterioration in their health.
Sexual health
DHSC is committed to supporting sexual health by providing comprehensive education, increasing access to reproductive health services and promoting safe sex practices. These actions aim to reduce sexually transmitted infections (STIs), improve overall wellbeing and ensure informed choices for all individuals.
HIV testing
The government is committed to ending new HIV transmissions, AIDS and HIV-related deaths in England by 2030. Its HIV Action Plan, published in December 2021, sets out how DHSC could achieve this by 2025. This included improving access to testing for key population groups most at risk of HIV by supporting HIV Prevention England (HPE).
HPE, which was funded by DHSC, is the national HIV prevention programme for England. It delivered a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work that was designed to complement locally commissioned prevention in areas of high prevalence and for communities at high risk of transmission.
During National HIV Testing Week (NHTW) in February 2023, DHSC introduced the option for self-testing for the first time. This was particularly popular with the black African demographic, with NHTW 2023 recording the highest number of testing kits dispatched to this group in comparison with the previous NHTWs.
Sexual orientation and gender reassignment
DHSC supports sexual orientation and gender reassignment by implementing inclusive policies, providing access to specialised healthcare and offering educational resources. These efforts aim to foster a respectful and supportive environment.
Gender identity services
DHSC had continued work with NHS England, building upon the progress outlined in DHSC equality information: 2022 to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria and people with gender reassignment as a protected characteristic, through improving the healthcare services offered to them.
To this end, the department has been supporting NHS England’s implementation of the Cass Review interim report’s recommendations for the gender identity services offered to children and young people. Service capacity is being increased with the aim of providing more timely care.
DHSC continues to support adult gender identity services and their respective workforce through the ‘pilot’ gender identity clinics, based on a new delivery model rooted in primary care and sexual health services. These clinics are taking patients off the existing waiting list and have been well received by the patients using them.
Access to elective care
The elective recovery plan (Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care) was published by NHS England in February 2022 and emphasised the importance of a “fair recovery”. It asked systems to collect and analyse waiting list data over the year to understand the nature of health inequalities, and develop clinical and operational plans to tackle them.
This approach to elective care addressed health inequalities through several key strategies:
- enhanced prioritisation system: a clearer process for determining clinical urgency and prioritizing patients based on wait time ensured that those most in need were seen first. This particularly benefitted disadvantaged patients who were often sicker and had been waiting longer
- targeted support for underperforming trusts: NHS England focused on assisting the most challenged trusts, reducing regional disparities in waiting times by supporting and challenging the worst-performing trusts
- accessibility interventions: specific measures were implemented to ensure disadvantaged patients could attend appointments and make informed healthcare choices. This included validating waiting lists, offering virtual appointments and providing accessible diagnostic tests
- increased patient choice: efforts were made to increase healthcare access options and choices for all patients
NHS England also advanced in collecting patient-level data. This data collection enabled more comprehensive analysis of health inequalities and facilitated the creation of more targeted intervention plans.
Public health workforce, expertise and leadership
All Our Health is the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ (OHID) professional workforce development programme and home to a wide collection of bite-sized e-learning resources, covering over 33 important public health topics including inclusion health, homelessness, mental health and wellbeing, learning disability, and health disparities and health inequalities.
Aimed at people working across the health and care workforce, each session used key evidence and data to highlight the importance of addressing each public health issue and signpost learners to other trusted sources of information. During 2023 to 2024, there were over 415,000 sessions launched on the All Our Health e-learning platform.
Healthy child programme
The healthy child programme is the national prevention and early intervention public health framework that supports all parents, babies and children and young people, with additional support for those who needed it the most.
To support access to services for those in vulnerable groups, DHSC published the healthy child programme schedule of interventions tool in June 2023.
Ambulance inequalities
The Chief Public Health Nurse directorate co-led the development of the ambulance sector health inequalities consensus and actively supported implementation. This work supported ambulance services to use their position and capability to support efforts to reduce health disparities.
UK National Screening Committee
DHSC hosted the secretariat for the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee that provided advice on screening and supported the implementation of screening programmes.
This included the case for introducing new nationally managed population, targeted or risk-stratified screening programmes, and for continuing, modifying or withdrawing existing programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
In addition to reviewing scientific evidence, the UK NSC also assessed the feasibility of delivering screening programmes and the effectiveness of their delivery.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling
Following a 2019 review of evidence, DHSC assisted researchers at Kings College Hospital to understand whether the offer of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling would be helpful for increasing informed uptake in women who had either delayed or ceased screening.
Breast screening
In 2023, DHSC invested £10 million to increase breast cancer screening capacity. The funding aimed to install new screening units and IT service upgrades to screen more women earlier, improving patient outcomes. It was directed at specific sites to address health inequalities and improve diagnosis rates, in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
Lung cancer screening programme
In the summer of 2023, DHSC announced the rollout of the national targeted lung cancer screening programme, which was aimed at screening current and ex-smokers who are at greatest risk of lung cancer. Smoking causes 72% of lung cancers (see Lung cancer risk, Cancer Research UK). This programme specifically benefits those in more disadvantaged areas, where people are 4 times more likely to smoke and are therefore at higher risk of lung cancer.
Improving uptake
DHSC has supported NHS England to develop new approaches to breast and cervical screening to engage with harder-to-reach groups. These included offering screening at more accessible venues such as mobile breast screening vans, or cervical screening in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics. Screening was offered outside of working hours to ensure that it was easier for patients to attend their appointments.
International programmes
In line with the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014, all DHSC’s official development assistance (ODA) projects were assessed considering the impact they may have on gender and other protected characteristics. In addition, at project level, we have an equity and human rights adviser within the UK Public Health Rapid Support team. Global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Innovation Fund partner, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), employs a gender consultant to work with research projects. The Fleming Fund had adopted gender and equity as a programme-wide principle, appointed a gender and equity programme lead, and established a roadmap for gender and equity activities.
The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance project
The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) project, funded by DHSC ODA through the Fleming Fund, is a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. The project provided rigorous quantitative estimates of the burden of AMR, among other objectives.
In November 2022, the project published a data visualisation tool that illustrated AMR burden, and that included filters for age and sex. This makes it easier for AMR professionals to interpret how AMR impacts different groups, and influence policymakers to look beyond the aggregate to examine AMR patterns, pathways and drivers and, therefore, drive equality.
Alcohol and drug-related harm
The 10-year drug plan
DHSC published a 10-year drug strategy, From Harm to Hope, which sets out a long-term vision to cut drug-related crimes, reduce harms and save lives, with an aim to reduce overall drug use towards a 30-year low.
The department increased the support available to people with drug and alcohol dependency, and worked with the NHS and the third sector to expand and improve evidence-based treatments and interventions.
Housing support grant programme
Achieving recovery from addiction requires quality treatment services to be complemented by housing and employment support.
In 2022, DHSC launched a housing support grant programme with 28 local authorities and, over the course of 2022 and 2023, supported 12,500 people as part of the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant. It also expanded access to individual placement and employment support, bringing the total number of local authority areas with access to 72 in the reporting period. The programme offered individual support to help those in drug and alcohol treatment find the right job and sustain employment.
Workforce strategy
DHSC’s approach to drug and alcohol treatment and recovery was supported by a commitment to expand the workforce. Over 2022 and 2023, 1,255 new alcohol and drugs workers were recruited, helping reduce caseload and increase capacity.
The Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme
DHSC invested £300 million over the course of 2022 to 2023 to improve support for families though the joint DHSC and Department for Education (DfE) Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. The programme implemented many elements of the The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days, published in March 2021.
The 75 local authorities that delivered the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme were chosen by prioritising places with the greatest need, while also ensuring the programme could build on the evidence base in urban and rural settings.
While much of the programme’s funding was being distributed to the participating local authorities, a small proportion had been retained centrally for national initiatives to support local delivery. This included work to reduce disparities in access for perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, and ensured every parent and carer had access to high-quality infant-feeding services in their local area.
Adult social care
DHSC plays a vital role in supporting adult social care. It works to enhance the wellbeing and independence of adults through policies that promote accessible, integrated care, and supports caregivers with resources and training. Additionally, the department funds initiatives aimed at improving the infrastructure and delivery of social care services, addressing the diverse needs of the ageing population and individuals with disabilities.
Legislation to support visiting
Visiting restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the health and wellbeing of many residents, patients and their families and friends, especially those who find it challenging to advocate for themselves.
In 2023. DHSC introduced secondary legislation to amend the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to add ‘visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices’ as a new CQC fundamental standard. Care homes, hospitals and hospices are now required to facilitate visiting in their settings, unless there is an exceptional circumstance that means they are unable to do so.
Data strategy and CQC local authority assessment and intervention
CQC assessment of local authorities’ delivery of their duties under part 1 of the Care Act 2014 will examine how well local authorities work with people who draw on care and support to ensure that their services meet the needs of those who use them. Assessments will highlight good practice and improve standards.
Assessments include local authorities’ work to understand and reduce inequalities in care and support. In CQC’s assessment framework, CQC uses the following quality statement to score how well a local authority ensures equity in experience and outcomes:
We [the local authority] actively seek out and listen to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in [experience or outcomes]. We tailor the care, support and treatment in response to this.
Research
DHSC invested significantly in health and social care research over the period covered by this report. This is primarily through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which is the research arm of DHSC. NIHR funds and delivers translational, clinical and applied health and care research.
NIHR research is inclusive - it is shaped and funded by the public, and is integrated across the health and care system. People and communities representing the diversity of the nation shape NIHR research, and NIHR strives to make opportunities to participate in research an integral part of everyone’s experience of health and social care services. NIHR promotes inclusive research design and the development of the research talent pipeline. This is good science that reduces bias and ensures that the health needs of everyone are included in research.
Following publication of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022 to 2027 in 2022, NIHR activity in the reporting period supported the public sector equality duty, extending its data collection for its diversity data reports to all 9 protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, as well as socio-economic status and caring responsibilities. This data allowed NIHR to better understand barriers for those with protected characteristics and planned interventions to remove these.
2. Equality in our workforce
This section lists DHSC’s equality objectives, and sets out the department’s approach to using equality data and information to inform and develop policy and initiatives in relation to our workforce. The scope of this section:
- relates to DHSC as an employer and does not include any of its agencies
- covers the period 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023
- provides a snapshot of data as of 30 September 2023
- provides an overview, with data tables, of how equality information is used to inform employee policy and initiatives, rather than the details for every policy
This section focuses on progress and activities that took place during the reporting period.
DHSC has separately published information on its gender pay gap.
Equality objectives: 2023 to 2027
DHSC developed a high-level set of equality objectives for 2023 to 2027 to ensure that advancing equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination remained central to its work of ensuring equitable policymaking and improved health outcomes for people in England. The objectives are as follows:
Objective 1
Ambition
We will continue to attract, develop and retain the best talent from the communities we serve, drawing from a range of backgrounds, experiences and locations.
Intended impact
We have a talented, diverse and empowered workforce that better reflects the communities we serve, and enables the department to make more informed decisions and problem-solve increasingly complex issues for our diverse communities.
Objective 2
Ambition
We will continue to create a sense of welcoming and belonging in our workforce.
Intended impact
Our people feel confident bringing their authentic selves, their backgrounds and experiences to work. This leads to improved levels of confidence, capability and retention.
Objective 3
Ambition
We will continue to develop the capability of our leaders to promote a diverse and inclusive culture through support, empowerment and accountability.
Intended impact
Our leaders are confident in both articulating the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce, and are active role models. Their delivery in this area leads to increased staff engagement and the equitable sharing of development opportunities.
Objective 4
Ambition
We will continue to engage with stakeholders and the public, particularly those with protected characteristics and personal or lived experience, and draw upon the diverse experiences of our workforce, including through staff networks, in all our work.
Intended impact
We build communicative and open relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and the public, and utilise the diverse experiences of our workforce to improve the way we design policies and deliver services to ensure they are equitable.
Objective 5
Ambition
We will continue to promote awareness and increase understanding of the public sector equality duty and health disparities in our workforce.
Intended impact
Our staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their role in meeting the public sector equality duty and considering health disparities when developing policy. This ensures equity is embedded in all our work.
Diversity and inclusion at DHSC
DHSC launched its departmental inclusion plan in autumn 2023, which has been built around its public sector equality duties. These cover a range of deliverables with clear evaluation measures, aligned with our departmental priorities aimed at:
- attracting and developing diverse talent
- creating a sense of belonging in our workforce
- developing the capability of our leaders
- engaging with diverse groups and embedding diverse lived experienced in all our work (both corporate and external)
- increasing workforce awareness and understanding of the public sector equality duty and health disparities
The delivery of the inclusion plan is led by DHSC’s human resources (HR) team with oversight from its executive committee.
In addition to the deliverables outlined in the inclusion plan, we are continuing focus and work across HR teams to reduce and manage levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination (BHD) across DHSC. This includes:
- engaging with diversity staff network chairs on diverse groups’ lived experience of BHD within the department and using this insight to feed into relevant workstreams - this includes a new DHSC people policies programme, aimed at upskilling our line manager community in understanding and working with staff to implement DHSC people policies in a fair, consistent and effective manner
- developing and launching a BHD toolkit for our HR business partners, to upskill them in leading conversations with their senior leader teams to manage and reduce BHD within their business areas
- collaborating with Cabinet Office colleagues to launch a BHD tool within targeted business areas. This in-depth tool assesses organisational readiness for effective BHD prevention mitigations, using staff insights to generate bespoke action plans for business areas
- working with casework leads and HR business partners to improve departmental use of the Cabinet Office mediation service, as a preventative method to tackling BHD
Experience exchange mentoring programme
In 2023, we delivered the experience exchange mentoring programme. This scheme is based on the principles of mutual mentoring and sees Senior Civil Service (SCS) mentees develop relationships and learn from delegated grade mentors to build their understanding of diverse lived experience, enabling better leadership and handling of diversity matters across DHSC. The 2023 cohort paired 104 SCS grade mentees with 104 delegated grade mentors. Overall, feedback was highly positive from both groups, and we have recently launched applications for the 2024 to 2025 year.
Workplace adjustments
In 2023, DHSC refreshed its workplace adjustments policy and procedures, following feedback from disabled staff network members. These changes aimed to ensure that staff had a clear, simple route to requesting and implanting workplace adjustments, with a dedicated single point of contact to assist individual cases.
In early 2024, the department also renewed its Disability Confidence Scheme Leader status, demonstrating its commitment and work to support disabled colleagues throughout the employee lifecycle.
Enhancing workforce understanding of the public sector equality duty and health disparities
Equality objective 5 focuses on enhancing workforce awareness and understanding of the public sector equality duty and health disparities. To achieve this, DHSC ran sessions that aimed to educate staff and equip them with the core principles to integrate into their work. The department’s intranet provides a comprehensive overview of the public sector equality duty, including practical guidance on its application. Employees can easily access previous reports and information about the equality objectives through straightforward searches, further supporting their ongoing learning and adherence to these crucial standards.
Workforce summary
DHSC strives to embed evidence-based and outcome-focused approaches in all that it does to progress equality and inclusion. We closely monitor diversity data, which enables us to identify areas for improvement and measure its progress in making DHSC a more inclusive workplace. We continue raising awareness of the importance of updating the diversity data and using insights to drive evidence-based change, through communication, system improvements and leadership action.
The data presented in this report shows information relating to DHSC’s employees by protected characteristic. Information is presented on age, disability, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, socio-economic background, and caring responsibilities of departmental employees. Age and gender data is collected and recorded during the onboarding process by the HR team, while the other information is self-declared by employees through DHSC’s HR management system.
We assumed the following principles during analysis and data presentation:
- percentages have been rounded to the nearest one percentage point - this means percentages may not sum to exactly 100%
- headcount includes permanent and fixed-term appointees employed by DHSC (including employees out on secondment or loan and all types of absence or special leave)
- for compliance with data protection laws, values are rounded to the nearest 10 and cells containing between 1 and 5 employees are represented by ‘1 to 5’ to prevent the identification of any individual’s diversity characteristics
- ‘not declared’ represents employees who have selected ‘prefer not to say’ on the reporting system and ‘not reported’ represents employees who have not reported their diversity characteristics
- for some of our analysis, SCS grades may be grouped together - SCS refers to employees at the following grades:
- permanent secretary
- director general
- director
- deputy director
- all other grades are represented separately as follows:
- grade 6 (G6)
- grade 7 (G7)
- senior executive officer (SEO)
- higher executive officer (HEO)
- executive officer (EO)
- administrative officer (AO)
- other (Agenda for Change NHS grades)
Sex
Table 1 shows the representation of employees by sex and responsibility level. There is a higher proportion of female employees across all the grades.
Table 1: DHSC employment - headcount and proportion by sex and responsibility level
| Grade | Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) | White | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 20 (7.7%) | 190 (73.1%) | 1 to 5 (0.0%) | 50 (19.2%) |
| G7 or G6 | 180 (10.7%) | 1,050 (62.5%) | 20 (1.2%) | 440 (26.2%) |
| HEO or SEO | 230 (18.0%) | 690 (53.9%) | 10 (0.8%) | 470 (30.5%) |
| EO | 60 (20.0%) | 110 (36.7%) | 10 (3.3%) | 120 (40.0%) |
| AO | 10 (20.0%) | 10 (20.0%) | 1 to 5 (0.0%) | 40 (80.0%) |
| Other | 10 (33.3%) | 20 (66.7%) | 1 to 5 (0.0%) | 10 (33.3%) |
| DHSC | 510 (14.0%) | 2,070 (56.7%) | 40 (1.1%) | 1,020 (27.9%) |
Ethnicity
Table 2 shows the representation of employees by ethnicity and responsibility level. The highest proportion of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) is at EO grades.
Table 2: DHSC employment - count and proportion by ethnicity and responsibility level
| Grade | Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) | White | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 20 (7.7%) | 190 (73.1%) | 0 (0%) | 50 (19.2%) |
| G7 or G6 | 180 (10.7%) | 1,050 (62.1%) | 20 (1.2%) | 440 (26%) |
| HEO or SEO | 230 (17.8%) | 690 (53.5%) | 10 (0.8%) | 360 (27.9%) |
| EO | 60 (20%) | 110 (36.7%) | 10 (3.3%) | 120 (40%) |
| AO | 10 (16.7%) | 10 (16.7%) | 0 (0%) | 40 (66.7%) |
| Other | 10 (25%) | 20 (50%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (25%) |
| DHSC | 510 (14%) | 2,070 (56.9%) | 40 (1.1%) | 1,020 (28%) |
Religion
Table 3 shows representation of employees and their religion or belief (including lack of belief) by responsibility level. The highest proportion of employees with declared religion or belief is at EO and SCS grades.
Table 3: DHSC employment - count and proportion by religion or belief and responsibility level
| Grade | Declared religion or belief | No religion | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 80 (32%) | 100 (40%) | 20 (8%) | 50 (20%) |
| G7 or G6 | 450 (26.5%) | 680 (40%) | 80 (4.7%) | 490 (28.8%) |
| HEO or SEO | 390 (30.2%) | 450 (34.9%) | 70 (5.4%) | 380 (29.5%) |
| EO | 100 (32.3%) | 70 (22.6%) | 10 (3.2%) | 130 (41.9%) |
| AO | 10 (16.7%) | 10 (16.7%) | 0 (0%) | 40 (66.7%) |
| Other | 10 (33.3%) | 10 (33.3%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (33.3%) |
| DHSC | 1040 (28.6%) | 1320 (36.3%) | 180 (4.9%) | 1100 (30.2%) |
Disability
Table 4 shows the proportion of employees by disability status and responsibility level. The highest proportion of employees with declared disability is at EO and HEO or SEO grades.
Table 4: DHSC employment - count and proportion by disability status and responsibility level
| Grade | Declared disability | Declared no disability | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 10 (3.8%) | 110 (42.3%) | 0 (0%) | 140 (53.8%) |
| G7 or G6 | 80 (4.7%) | 440 (25.9%) | 10 (0.6%) | 1170 (68.8%) |
| HEO or SEO | 80 (6.3%) | 320 (25%) | 0 (0%) | 880 (68.8%) |
| EO | 20 (6.5%) | 60 (19.4%) | 0 (0%) | 230 (74.2%) |
| AO | 0 (0%) | 10 (16.7%) | 0 (0%) | 50 (83.3%) |
| Other | 0 (0%) | 10 (33.3%) | 0 (0%) | 20 (66.7%) |
| DHSC | 190 (5.2%) | 950 (26.1%) | 10 (0.3%) | 2490 (68.4%) |
Sexual orientation
Table 5 shows the proportion of employees by sexual orientation and responsibility level. The highest proportion of employees who declared they are LGBO (lesbian, gay, bi or other sexual orientations) is at HEO or SEO grades.
Table 5: DHSC employment - count and proportion by sexual orientation and responsibility level
| Grade | LGBO | Heterosexual | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 20 (7.7%) | 170 (65.4%) | 20 (7.7%) | 50 (19.2%) |
| G7 or G6 | 100 (5.9%) | 1020 (60%) | 90 (5.3%) | 490 (28.8%) |
| HEO or SEO | 110 (8.5%) | 730 (56.6%) | 60 (4.7%) | 390 (30.2%) |
| EO | 20 (6.5%) | 150 (48.4%) | 10 (3.2%) | 130 (41.9%) |
| AO | 0 (0%) | 10 (20%) | 0 (0%) | 40 (80%) |
| Other | 0 (0%) | 20 (50%) | 0 (0%) | 20 (50%) |
| DHSC | 250 (6.8%) | 2100 (57.5%) | 180 (4.9%) | 1120 (30.7%) |
Caring responsibilities
Table 6 shows the proportion of employees by caring responsibilities and responsibility level. The highest proportion of employees that declared having caring responsibilities is at SCS grade.
Table 6: DHSC employment - count and proportion by caring responsibilities and responsibility level
| Grade | Declared caring responsibilities | Declared no caring responsibilities | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 80 (29.6%) | 60 (22.2%) | 130 (48.1%) |
| G7 or G6 | 280 (16.5%) | 290 (17.1%) | 1130 (66.5%) |
| HEO or SEO | 190 (14.7%) | 220 (17.1%) | 880 (68.2%) |
| EO | 50 (16.1%) | 40 (12.9%) | 220 (71%) |
| AO | 10 (16.7%) | 0 (0%) | 50 (83.3%) |
| Other | 10 (25%) | 10 (25%) | 20 (50%) |
| DHSC | 620 (16.9%) | 620 (16.9%) | 2430 (66.2%) |
Socio-economic background
Table 7 shows the proportion of employees by socio-economic background and responsibility level. The highest proportion of employees that declared being from a lower socio-economic background is at EO and HEO or SEO grades.
Table 7: DHSC employment - count and proportion by socio-economic background and responsibility level
| Grade | Declared lower socio-economic background | Declared higher socio-economic background | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 40 (15.4%) | 120 (46.2%) | 10 (3.8%) | 90 (34.6%) |
| G7 or G6 | 40 (15.4%) | 120 (46.2%) | 10 (3.8%) | 90 (34.6%) |
| HEO or SEO | 280 (16.6%) | 650 (38.5%) | 110 (6.5%) | 650 (38.5%) |
| EO | 220 (17.1%) | 440 (34.1%) | 90 (7%) | 540 (41.9%) |
| AO | 40 (13.3%) | 60 (20%) | 30 (10%) | 170 (56.7%) |
| Other | 10 (16.7%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 50 (83.3%) |
| DHSC | 10 (25%) | 10 (25%) | 0 (0%) | 20 (50%) |
Age
Table 8 shows the proportion of employees by age and responsibility level.
Table 8: DHSC employment - count and proportion by age group and responsibility level
| Grade | 16 to 19 | 20 to 29 | 30 to 39 | 40 to 49 | 50 to 59 | 60 to 64 | 65 and over | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | Not applicable | 0 (0.00%) | 40 (15.4%) | 110 (42.3%) | 90 (34.6) | 10 (3.8%) | 10 (3.8) | 0 (0%) |
| G7 or G6 | Not applicable | 260 (15.4%) | 590 (34.9%) | 420 (24.9%) | 320 (18.9) | 70 (4.1%) | 10 (0.6) | 20 (1.2%) |
| HEO or SEO | Not applicable | 480 (37.2%) | 330 (25.6%) | 200 (15.5%) | 210 (16.3) | 50 (3.9%) | 10 (0.8%) | 10 (0.8%) |
| EO | Not applicable | 110 (37.9%) | 50 (17.2%) | 30 (10.3%) | 60 (20.7) | 20 (6.9%) | 10 (3.4%) | 10 (3.4%) |
| AO | Not applicable | 10 (25%) | 10 (25%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (25%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (25%) |
| Other | Not applicable | 0 (0%) | 10 (25%) | 20 (50%) | 10 (25%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| DHSC | Not applicable | 870 (23.8%) | 1040 (28.5%) | 780 (21.4%) | 710 (19.5%) | 160 (4.4%) | 40 (1.1%) | 50 (1.4%) |
Gender identity
Table 9 shows the proportion of employees by gender identity and responsibility level.
Table 9: DHSC employment - count and proportion by gender identity and responsibility level
| Grade | Declared gender identity same as registered at birth | Declared gender identity different to registered at birth | Not reported or prefer not to say |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 170 (65.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 90 (34.6%) |
| G7 or G6 | 970 (57.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 720 (42.6%) |
| HEO or SEO | 700 (54.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 580 (45.3%) |
| EO | 130 (43.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 170 (56.7%) |
| AO | 10 (20%) | 0 (0.0%) | 40 (80%) |
| Other | 10 (33.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 20 (66.7%) |
| DHSC | 1,990 (55.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1,620 (44.9%) |