Today the 萝莉视频 has launched ‘Delivering for Disability’ – a new campaign and guidance calling on mental health employers in 萝莉视频, to adopt 15 actions to help combat the disability discrimination of NHS staff.
Providing Reasonable Adjustments - Essential Guidance for Mental Health Employers, is a co-produced framework designed to empower NHS services to implement effective and practical support for staff with disabilities and long-term health conditions. The guidance bridges the gap between policy and lived experience, to enable all staff, regardless of ability, to thrive.
NHS 萝莉视频 data shows that mental health staff with disabilities are twice as likely to report experiencing personal discrimination from a colleague or manager compared to their non-disabled peers (12.2 per cent vs. 5.8 per cent).
RCPsych President Dr Lade Smith CBE said:
“Disability discrimination comes at an immense cost to individuals, teams and ultimately impacts our ability to retain experienced professionals and thereby look after patients. Our Providing Reasonable Adjustments guidance equips employers with clear, evidence-based actions, informed by the voices of those with lived experience. By embedding these practices, services will benefit because staff will be better supported, more likely to remain and thrive at work, all of which will be much better for patient care.”
’Dr B’ suffered with Long Covid and reasonable adjustments enabled him to remain at work:
‘Dr B’ had Long Covid for over three years, with long-term physical and cognitive issues and deterioration over that?period. Accommodations included working four days instead of five and no on-calls due to the extent of cognitive fatigue beyond 5pm. One day a week they worked from home to reduce the effect of travel, and an FFP3 mask was worn in all clinical areas to reduce further acute Covid risk.
As a result, Dr B was able to continue work and their talent was retained within the NHS. Their employer reviewed working arrangements and hours on an ongoing basis and adapted reasonable adjustments.
Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the 萝莉视频, said:
“Tackling the barriers that interfere with people with disabilities being able to give their best at work is imperative to improving productivity. It will also make the NHS a more compassionate, inclusive and attractive place to work. Reasonable adjustments help staff feel valued and respected, reduce sickness absence, improve retention and foster better teamworking.
“I’d encourage leaders at all levels, from board executives to clinical supervisors, to embed this guidance into their workforce strategies. The aim of the guidance is not only to help you meet your legal duty as an employer but to create productive and healthy environments that benefit all staff, ultimately supporting them to improve patient care.”
Download the Providing Reasonable Adjustments guidance or view the one-page summary of the 15 recommendations.