Our commitment
We’re committed to making sure everyone feels respected, valued, and supported.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion: Our commitmentAddressing health inequalities
Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health between groups of people.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion: Addressing health inequalitiesOur performance and accountability
We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our communities and to be a fair and supportive place for everyone.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion: Our performance and accountabilityOur commitment
We’re committed to making sure everyone feels respected, valued and supported.
- Equality: We work hard to treat people fairly and remove barriers, so that everyone has the same opportunities and experiences. We are working to reduce health inequalities by making sure our care is accessible, inclusive and culturally appropriate for all
- Diversity: We celebrate the richness of our differences and make sure voices from all backgrounds are heard in shaping how we work and care.
- Inclusion: We are working to reduce health inequalities by making sure our care is accessible, inclusive and culturally appropriate for all. As well as ensuring our colleagues feel that they belong.
Through our Culture, Inclusion, and Equity Framework, we’re placing equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do
Read our Culture, Inclusion and Equity Framework
File size: 2.12MB
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination at work and when using services. It covers nine ‘protected characteristics’ including age, disability, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.
As an NHS Trust, we also follow the Public Sector Equality Duty, which means we work to prevent discrimination, create fair opportunities, and build positive relationships between different groups. We go further by considering the impact of socio-economic disadvantage to help reduce health inequalities.
To support this, we carry out equality impact assessments for all our policies, publish our equality objectives, and report on our progress every year.
Addressing health inequalities
Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health between groups of people. They can happen because of factors like where people live, their income, or access to services.
These inequalities may appear as differences in health outcomes, uneven access to care, or different experiences of using services. To understand and address them, we consider the wider social, environmental, and economic factors that affect people’s health.
Our Health Inequalities Strategy 2024–2026 sets out how we will work with our communities to make sure health and care services are fair, accessible, and meet everyone’s needs.
Read our Health Inequalities Strategy
File size: 2.81MB
Unity Against Racism
We know that our ethnically diverse communities experience inequalities in access, experience and outcomes in health services compared to white groups. We’re committed to being an anti-racist organisation and taking purposeful action to tackle racism in all its forms. Our Board leads this work, setting clear objectives and ensuring progress is made.
We know anti-racism is everyone’s responsibility, so we work alongside our Race Equality Network, colleagues and communities to drive real change. This means making positive changes across our organisation, dedicating resources to support racial equity, encouraging active participation, and being open about our progress.
Race Equality Matters
In 2024, we were awarded the Race Equality Matters (REM) Silver Trailblazer Status. This award recognises our ongoing commitment to being an anti-racist organisation. Rather than starting at the bronze level, we were awarded silver status, which is valid for two years and is currently the highest available award.
You can learn more by reading our Trailblazer case study on the Race Equality Matters website.
Supporting the armed forces and veterans
We proudly support the armed forces through welcoming hiring practices and accessible healthcare services. We recognise and value the dedication and sacrifices of the armed forces community.
Op COURAGE is the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service. Find out, how Op COURAGE supports ex-military personal, reservists and service leavers by visiting their website.
Read our Armed Forces Strategy
Celebrating neurodiversity
Our vision is for everyone at Berkshire Healthcare to understand, celebrate, and support neurodiversity. We want all neurodivergent people, whether working with us or using our service, to have equal access to care, support, and opportunities to thrive.
To achieve this, we are:
- improving knowledge across our teams so staff feel confident supporting neurodivergent colleagues and patients.
- removing barriers that may prevent access to our services.
- enhancing the experience of neurodivergent staff.
LGBTQ+ inclusion
We’re proud to support LGBTQ+ inclusion across our services and workplace. Each year we take part in local Pride events, helping raise awareness of our services, offering health checks, and listening to our communities about how we can do better.
Our Pride Network provides a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ colleagues, and our efforts have been recognised nationally with a Stonewall Top 100 Gold Employer award, most recently in 2023.
Sexual Safety Charter
We are proud to be signatories of the NHS Sexual Safety Charter, committing to eliminate inappropriate, unwanted, or harmful behaviour in our organisation.
As part of this, we follow ten core principles to protect everyone’s sexual safety, including clear policies, training, and timely action when concerns arise. Our Violence Prevention and Reduction group helps make sure these commitments are met, keeping staff safe and supported.
Our performance and accountability
WRES and WDES reports
We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our communities and to be a fair and supportive place for everyone. Each year we publish reports on race and disability equality, so we can be open about where we’re doing well and where we need to improve.