Topic: Equality and Diversity at work; Opportunities and Challenges: The Employment of Disabled Workers in the Health Sector

(NHS): Opportunities and Challenges (19912010) Introduction Paid work is seen as a key indicator of social inclusion (Department for Education and Employment, 2001, cited in Swain et al, .2004, p.195), but unfortunately, everyone is not employed. There is discrimination against disabled people in most types of employment,( Burchardt ,2000, cited in Swain et.al,.2004,p.212 ),though it is considered that health and caring professionals would be knowledgeable regarding the disabled, there is evidence to suggest that, this it is not the case (Abberley ,1995, cited in J Swain et.al,.2004,p.212 ),when disabled are employed in the health sector there is evidence that colleagues and patients discriminate against them (Hlne Mulholland,2004) it has been seen that as many as ninety percent of health sector ignores disability guidelines (Equal opportunities Review, 2003), In spite of the disability act of 1995, which is aimed at addressing these barriers the problems still persist, the aim of this paper is to explore the existing literature on disabled and the barriers they face and opportunities available working for the NHS. Equality and Discrimination: Challenges for Disabled Disabled people are excluded from the health and caring Professions because of their presumed inability to cope, the effect they may have on patients and clients, and the assumption of proneness to accidents (French, 2001, cited in J Swain et.al,.2004 ). The views of health and caring professionals may be even more negative than those of the general public, due to the unequal relationship they have with disabled people and the fact that they come into contact with disabled people only when they

need their help (Gething, 1993 cited in J Swain et.al,.2004), the introduction of equality policies has no effect on the amount of discrimination faced by disabled workers and they are almost twice as likely to be jobless Reynolds (2003) head of employment relations at Royal college of Nursing, Josie Irwin, is of the opinion that governments policy on equality and diversity had not had a significant impact Fuller, (2006),the IRS tracked efforts to approaches to employ disabled people, it focused on recruitment and selection practices, positive action measure, making reasonable adjustments and evidence of flexible working,the result reflects a general slowing down of employer activity with regard to disability and employment,McGeer(2003) The disability equality duty introduced by the disability Discrimination Act 2005 , is not just about making adjustments to buildings, It is about including disabled people into all policies in practice and demonstrable ways from the outset , Godwin (2006) Although a high proportion of trusts in a survey were found to be collecting workforce data, the process was hampered by a number of problems. A high proportion of trusts cited a lack of resources sixty five percent (65), as well as IT inadequacies sixty percent (60) as posing problems. Staff reluctance to provide information was referred to by a further forty two percent (42). An even greater problem was the Reluctance to provide information, some staff refused to classify themselves as disabled (Equal Opportunities Review, 1998) Despite the introduction of equality policies, disabled people are almost twice as likely to be jobless and discrimination is still widespread, Reynolds, (2003), disabled people were not involved or to indicate how they were involved and the actions taken as a result of their input is a common weakness observed by the Disability Rights Commission before its abolition in October 2007, the health sector was in many ways the weakest. Gooding, (2008),people with mental health problems always face the low expectations of many health and social care staff and only six percent(6) believed they give work a

high priority, there is a culture of low expectation and the belief that they will never work again, Silcox(2004),when employers ask job applicants whether or not they have a disability, it is worth considering the usefulness of the information, it should not therefore, be assumed that if a job applicant ticks the disability box as part of any pre-employment health screening process that that individual will continue to have a disability in the future Some conditions can be successfully treated , Suff (2008a),the NHS takes equal opportunities for disables seriously, says the NHS confederation, which shapes policies but it is true that NHS workers who are disabled are on average less satisfied with their working conditions Berry,(2004)an inquiry chaired by Karnon Monaghan, into professional regulation and access to disable people to work in teaching, nursing and social work disclosed that considerable part of the legislation of the Disability Rights Commission lay down generalised standards of good health of fitness for entry,thererby undermining disability rights (Occupational Medicine 2008) Equality and Discrimination: Opportunities for Disabled The NHS Direct stated in its policy statement that as a commitment to promote equality and diversity in its workforce thatNHS Direct will take every possible step to ensure that individuals are treated equally and fairly and that decisions on recruitment, selection, training, promotion, career management and provision of other benefits are based solely on objective and job related criteria (NHS Direct, p.3, 2008) The biggest changes made to the Discrimination Act of 2005 is the removal of the provision that mental illness must be clinically proven in order to be regarded as a disability, this according to the former secretary of state for works and pension Alan Johnson will provide protection against discrimination for at least one hundred and seventy five thousand people Rubenstein,(2005),Nicky and Jill(2007,p.1) stated that, there are efforts to enable social workers experiencing mental health problems to remain or return to work through the support of social work . Recruitment and selection procedures are being

reviewed by a number of NHS trust and they are training their managers on Disability Discrimination Act, provisions for making reasonable adjustments to the workplace, some NHS trust, like Dorset health care ,has initiated processes to recruit former patients of the trust who have mental health problems or learning disabilities.( Equal Opportunities Review,1998)most parts of the NHS trust has policies devised by the NHS in its code of practise to protect the interest of minority groups in employment by ensuring that recruitment, training, staff development and promotion procedures are systematic, visible and fair(Ann Wall,2002),the campaign, open your mind is part of NHSs initiative to support disabled workers launch an initiative in march 2010 to end stigma against NHS workers suffering from mental ill health conditions and help NHS trust create a better working environment for all staff Martindale(,2010). A case in perspective is that of NHS Bradford and Airedale trust, increased the involvement of disabled people, the introduction of a staff disability network and projects to enhance the recruitment of disabled people, the remarkable factor in NHS Bradford and Airedales initiative in managing equality is the involvement of disabled people in shaping the culture of the organisation, there are more members of staff registered as disables and there is a growing confidence amongst staff that they can be open about their disability, Suff (2010a, p,2) Conclusion According to Lynne Carter, head of equality and diversity NHS Bradford and Airedale and as mentioned by (Suff, 2010b, p.2), There is still a significant amount of stigma associated with disability in society generally. Simpson(1999) suggested that People with disabilities often face barriers when trying to work in the NHS, these barriers include the lack of understanding of disability by NHS staff and also poor physical access to buildings and environments that makes it almost difficult to find their way about or communicate with staff, there are examples of good practice where NHS trusts and health care

providers have made significant improvements to their services and to the general awareness of the needs of people with disability, the NHS has put in place a series of Equal Opportunities initiatives but it is confronted with the difficult question of how to check and evaluate their impact and ensure their effectiveness, Wall(2002) The NHS has failed in its own commitment on equal opportunities for all it workers as its record has been widely discussed, Hamilton (2002), of the one hundred and seventy four (174,000) disabled employees of the NHS; there is no record of the roles being played in leadership position in the NHS (NHS Employers, 2005, cited in Blackman 2010, p.2). For the NHS to respond to the need of its disabled workers there should be a commitment to ensure that equality and diversity is integrated in its core policies. Bibliography Abberley, P. (1995) Disabling Ideology in Health and Welfare-The case of Occupational Therapy: Disability and society. in J. Swain, (ed.).2004.Disabling barriers, enabling enviroments.London: Sage, p.212. Allen, M. and Birse, E. (1991) Stigma and Blindness, Journal of Ophthalmic Nursing And Technology. in J. Swain, ed.2004.Disabling barriers, enabling enviroments.London: Sage, p.212. Berry, M. (2004) New bill a step closer to equality Personnel Today, p. 2. XpertHR[Online]. Available at: http//.www.experthr.co.uk/ (Accessed: 18 October 2011). Berry, M. (2004) New bill a step closer to equality Personnel Today, p. 2. XpertHR[Online]. Available at: http//.www.experthr.co.uk/ (Accessed: 18 October 2011). Blackman, K. (2010),Equality and diversity: Exploring perceptions through NHS survey, Available at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/equality, (Accessed: 18 October 2011).

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