IJB Equality Mainstreaming and Outcomes
Mainstreaming and Equality Outcomes 2021 - 2025
West Lothian Integration Joint Board has published its Progress Report for the Mainstreaming Report and Equality Outcomes for 2021 - 2025.
You can access the progress report here: Equality Mainstreaming Report and Equality Outcomes Progress Report 2023 (PDF) [190KB] (opens new window)
Equality outcomes are results intended to achieve specific and identifiable improvements in the lives of those who are most disadvantaged and to narrow or remove the biggest inequalities experienced by particular groups who have a protected characteristic. The Equality Act 2010 defines these characteristics as:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
When drafting these 2021 - 2025 equality outcomes, we looked at the vast amount of work already done to develop the Strategic Plan 2019 - 2023. Reducing inequalities, in particular, health inequalities, is central to the work of the IJB and we have already engaged extensively with our stakeholders to develop commissioning plans for older people's services, physical disability, learning disability and alcohol and drug services.
You can access the report and Equality Outcomes for 2021-25 at the bottom of this page.
The new IJB Strategic Plan 2023-2028 (PDF) [8MB] (opens new window) , builds on the achievements of the West Lothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) Strategic Plan 2019 to 2023 and sets out the Boards ambition for the continued development and improvement of health and social care services in West Lothian over the next 5 years. The IJB's Strategic Plan 2023-2028 describes how the IJB intend to deliver its vision of "Working in partnership to improve wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across all communities in West Lothian". The main challenges to improving health in West Lothian are the ageing population, persistent health inequalities, the continuing shift in the pattern of disease towards long term conditions and growing numbers of people with multiple conditions and complex needs.
In order to tackle the challenge of reducing the health inequalities gap in West Lothian, we are strongly committed to the development of a preventative outcomes-based approach, with an emphasis on effective early interventions to tackle social inequalities and improve wellbeing in communities. To this end our strategy focuses on prevention, early intervention and collaborative working to ensure services are planned, co-ordinated and evaluated on the delivery of outcomes; and resources are targeted to achieve the greatest impact on those most in need.
The IJB Strategic Plan is clear that equality will be at the heart of everything that we do as a partnership, including how we will take into account the protected characteristics in the planning and commissioning of health and social care services.
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 stipulates that all public bodies across Scotland are required to produce and deliver a set of equality outcomes to further one or more of the three needs of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED/also known as General Duty).
The duty has two parts - a General Duty and Specific Duties. The General Duty came into force in April 2011 and applies to any organisation which carries out a public function.
There are a number of requirements under the Specific Duties which support public bodies to carry out the General Duty. The Scottish Government added Joint Integration Boards to Schedule 19 of the Equality Act 2010 and to The Equality Act 2010 (specific duties) Regulations 201 in April 2016 and so all IJBs are subject to the Specific Duties.
As such West Lothian Integration Joint Board has published a report on mainstreaming the equality duty including related equality outcomes.