UKHSA Advisory Board: Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee terms of reference
Updated 16 November 2022
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukhsa-board-meeting-papers-november-2022/ukhsa-advisory-board-equalities-ethics-and-communities-committee-terms-of-reference
Date: Wednesday 16 November 2022
Sponsor: Graham Hart
Purpose of the paper
The purpose of the paper is to provide the Advisory Board with the terms of reference for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee.
The terms of reference were discussed by the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee at its first meeting, held on Thursday 6 October 2022 and agreed in correspondence on 8 November 2022.
Recommendation
The Advisory Board is asked to endorse the terms of reference for the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee.
Terms of reference
1. Purpose
1.1 The UKHSA Advisory Board has established an Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee of the Advisory Board to fulfil its functions. The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will assist the UKHSA Advisory Board by giving advice on UKHSA’s ambition to reduce health inequalities and engage with communities. It will also be a source of advice for ethical decision making in the field of health security.
2. Constitution
2.1 The Committee is a mandatory requirement as set out in paragraph 5.16 of the UKHSA framework document signed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the terms of reference of the UKHSA Advisory Board.
2.2 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee is an advisory committee with no executive powers; it is not the duty of the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee to carry out any function that properly belongs to the Executive.
3. Membership
3.1 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee shall be chaired by a non-executive member of the UKHSA Advisory Board, selected and appointed by the UKHSA Chair for a period of up to 2 years.
3.2 The members of the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee are:
- non-executive Chair
- 2 non-executive members
- 2 associate non-executive members
- Chief Medical Adviser
- Director General, Health Protection Operations
- Director of Health Equity and Clinical Governance
- Director General, Strategy, Policy and Programmes
- Director of Health Protection Policy
- Deputy Director for Inclusion, Policy and Reward
3.3 Up to 2 other co-opted and unremunerated members may join at the request of the Committee Chair. Individuals may be invited on either a one-off or regular basis to provide additional expertise on a specific topic. There will be a particular focus on inclusion of lived experience.
3.4 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will work closely with other fora in UKHSA including the:
- People and Culture Committee recognising the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in our workforce
- Health Equity Board and inclusion networks
- Clinical Quality and Oversight Board
3.5 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will be required to consider the impact of UKHSA’s activities on the diverse communities it serves. To achieve this, the Chair will consider how the committee membership reflects the diversity of those communities.
3.6 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee shall review its membership at least every 2 years.
3.7 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will be provided with a secretariat function by the UKHSA Governance, Risk and Assurance Team.
4. Reporting
4.1 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will formally report in writing to the UKHSA Advisory Board after each meeting. This will be by the issuing of minutes and any other report that the Chair may deem appropriate. Minutes will be provided to the Chair for review in time for presentation to the next meeting of the UKHSA Advisory Board and not later than the end of the week following the meeting.
5. Remit and responsibilities
5.1 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will assist the UKHSA Advisory Board in providing advice, support and challenge to the organisation, focusing on:
- development and implementation of the Health Equity Strategy, including its approach to community engagement, research and evaluation priorities
- new developments in addressing health inequalities across the health system, including wider policy considerations
- reviewing the organisation’s actions related to its statutory duty to protection the nation’s health, and reduce inequalities linked to its core role of protecting against emergency threats
- advising the ethical basis for internal programme activities and decision-making, including emergency response and pandemic planning; the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee may seek additional expert advice to support its advice on ethical issues that arise during meetings
- advising UKHSA’s contribution to equitable health outcomes through delivery of UKHSA’s strategic objectives
- advising how the organisation considers and addresses the needs of different communities to meet its core role of protecting against health threats
6. Meetings
6.1 Meetings of the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee are chaired by the appointed Chair, who shall not be the Chair of the UKHSA Advisory Board. The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee Chair must be a non-executive member of the Advisory Board appointed by Ministers specifically to undertake the role.
6.2 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee will meet at least 4 times a year. The Chair may convene additional meetings, as they deem necessary.
6.3 Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee meetings will not be held in public but agreed minutes from meetings will be put on the agenda for public sessions of the UKHSA Advisory Board and published on UKHSA’s website with Advisory Board papers (subject to any redactions in line with exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000).
6.4 Unless otherwise agreed, notice of each meeting confirming the venue, time and date together with an agenda of items to be discussed, shall be forwarded to each member of the Committee no later than 7 days before the date of the meeting.
6.5 A minimum of 4 members of the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee are required to be present for the meeting to be deemed quorate, with at least 2 of which must be non-executive members (including the Chair).
6.6 Where a meeting is not quorate under paragraph 6.5 within one half hour from the time appointed for the meeting, or becomes inquorate during the course of the meeting, the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee members present may determine to either:
- adjourn to such time, date and place as they determine
- continue and confirm any decision at the next quorate meeting
6.7 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee may invite individuals with particular expertise, knowledge or experience to provide input on a specific topic or agenda item.
7. Approval and review
7.1 The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee shall conduct a review of its own effectiveness after one year from its first meeting.
7.2 The terms of reference of the Committee shall be approved by the UKHSA Advisory Board, and reviewed at least every 2 years.
Date agreed by UKHSA Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee: 8 November 2022
Review date: 8 November 2024
Chair of UKHSA Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee: Graham Hart