WDES Annual Report 2024

On 1st April 2019, the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) came into effect. It is a set of ten specific measures (metrics) which will allow NHS organisations to compare the experiences of Disabled and non-disabled staff. This information will be used by the Trust to develop an action plan and demonstrate progress. The WDES was commissioned by the Equality and Diversity Council (EDC), mandated in the NHS Standard Contract, and restricted to NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts for the first two years of implementation.

The EDI team developed the 2023/2024 action plan in consultation with our Disability Support Network, as it has in previous years. The action plan was developed from analysis of the workforce data and from the results of surveys that EEAST had commissioned McKinsey LLP to carry out with all Disabled staff. The finalised action plan was signed off through EEAST’s various Boards and Committees. The action plan is published on the Trust’s internal intranet and external website and shared with Suffolk and North East Essex ICB (Integrated Care Board) to be cascaded across the other 5 ICBs we work with.

Regular updates are sought from Action owners throughout the reporting period and this progress is documented in the action plans. Progress or risks to delivery are reported at the quarterly EDI Group meetings.

We continue to bring attention to the Senior Leadership Team of the challenges and differences of experience across our workforce as documented in our reporting and data analysis.

To hopefully make more meaningful progress for the 2023/24 reporting period we focussed on 5 of the WDES metrics which were: 2, 3, 4a, 4b, 8.

For each we also set a target of improvement which was based on previous data, areas of improvement and decline.

• Relative likelihood of non-disabled candidates being appointed from shortlisting compared to Disabled candidates.
• Relative likelihood of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled staff entering the formal capability process.
• Percentage of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from (patients, managers or other colleagues). In the last 12 months.
• Percentage of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled saying that the last time they experienced harassment, bullying or abuse at work, they or a colleague reported it.
• Percentage of Disabled staff saying that their employer has made adequate adjustment(s) to enable them to carry out their work.

We identified these five as being our key priorities following the review of our workforce data, staff survey results, reviewing our 2022/2023 action plan performance and from the results of surveys carried out by an external consultancy during 2022/2023. Progress against these actions and objectives is set out in the RAG reporting table below and we recognise that in many of the metrics this has been quite limited:

For EEAST some areas of significant improvement in the WDES are:

• Metric 5- Percentage of Disabled staff believing the Trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion, our data shows an increase from 32.3% to 42%.
• Metric 8 - Percentage of Disabled staff saying their employer has made adequate adjustment to enable them to carry out their work: Our data shows an increase from 59.5% to 67.4%. Whilst this is clearly a positive improvement, we acknowledge that almost a third of staff haven’t had adequate adjustments.

Further work also needs to be done on Metric 2: Likelihood of being appointed from shortlisting. The likelihood here is still far more to be in favour of non-disabled Staff. If this is not addressed the knock-on effect will be significant.

The data also shows Disabled staff are still far more likely to experience bullying and harassment or abuse from colleagues and the percentage of staff who would report such an incident taking place is reducing. This would suggest a potential lack of faith in the system or staff not feeling confident that something will be done about it.

A more visual overview of the progress against the metrics is set out in the table that follows.

Our Disability Support Network is firmly established at EEAST and continues to provide a safe space for staff with disabilities to share experiences, discuss challenges, contribute insight, as well as providing an opportunity to share positive stories. The Chair and or Deputy Chair attend the quarterly EDI Group meetings and provide feedback on the network. Network Chairs are also invited to attend the People Committee meetings to provide an overview of progress and raise awareness of any issues or problems. During 2023 the tenure expired for existing committee members and these posts were advertised and filled, seeing the Chair returning to post and further roles filled.

Other progress that we have made against the actions during 2023/2024 are as follows:

• Recruited and appointed a Reasonable Adjustment Associate Advisor.
• Promoted and filled the Calibre Programme and organised a highly successful awards event which gave delegates an opportunity to highlight their stories and make recommendations for change i.e. suggesting applicants receive interview questions in advance.
• Disability Support Network (DSN) members have produced articles and stories for the Trust internal communication forum Need to Know
• We have delivered numerous Let’s Talk training sessions for managers and staff across several EDI areas including autism, menopause, allyship. Further sessions are planned during 2024.
• A new leadership development programme has been developed and delivered by the Learning and Development team which includes a module on EDI & Cultural Intelligence.
• The Trust continues to promote the Speak Up, Speak Out, Stop It Campaign, to tackle bullying and harassment. Leadership messages also endorse this with the clear message that bullying, and harassment is not tolerated at EEAST.
• A reasonable adjustment policy/guidance has also been developed to aid this process for both staff and managers.
• We are registered as Disability Confident Committed (Level 1) and actively working on meeting the requirements to progress to Level 2.
• We work closely with our dedicated FTSU Guardian.
• Disability Support Network (DSN) members have produced articles and stories for the Trust internal communication forum Need to Know and regularly posts on its Twitter pages.
• The Trust introduced Learning Circles for managers to attend and continues to deliver these to support our managers.
• Our Leadership messages encouraged staff to update their information on the ESR system. Quick step-by-step guides were produced to help people complete the process. Senior leaders have shared stories on Need to Know (NTK) and updated their disability status on NTK.
• Cultural Inclusion Ambassadors have been panel members for recruitment and hearings.
• Attending job fairs to support Neurodiverse applicants.

We continue to bring attention to the Senior Leadership Team of the challenges and differences of experience across our workforce as documented in our reporting and data analysis. We recognise that progress against the 2023/24 actions and objectives in many of the metrics has been quite limited:

The WDES Action Plan is a standing item at the Disability Support Network Agenda and is discussed at their meetings. Involvement from the network members is vital in assisting the Trust to deliver against the targets set for this year. Updates are also provided at the quarterly EDI Group meeting.

For the 2024/25 Action Plan, in discussions with our Senior Team we are focussing on a further reduced number of objectives with the intention to increase the positive impact of these for staff. These activities will be captured within the EEAST’S Inclusivity Plan, and the overall aim is whilst having fewer objectives they will have a wider reach and greater overall impact to improve the working experiences of Disabled colleagues.

Our Inclusivity Plan will have 3 over-arching themes with objectives under-pinning them.

1. Attract and retain an inclusive workforce.
2. Embed equitable and fair practices.
3. Develop and equip the entire workforce.

Other initiatives and projects underway or due to start this year may also impact some of the metrics. These are:

• The ESR declaration work project may impact upon Metric 1 & 10. Whilst it isn’t about recruiting people it may change the make-up representation of the workforce as we currently have a high percentage of undeclared/unknown (24.92%, slightly reduced from last year’s 30.13%).
• Having appointed the Reasonable Adjustment Associate Adviser to the EDI team we hope to see further improvements in Metric 8, ensuring staff have the right reasonable adjustments in place to enable them to carry out their work effectively and they are implemented/received in a timely way.
• EDI team working on progressing to Level 2 of Disability Confident.

We continue to work closely with the National Ambulance Disability Network to improve our performance and to benefit from the national initiatives that are being developed by this group.

We have also established stronger partnership working with the ICS’s who are in place across EEAST’s region. Members of the EDI team attend these meetings and report back on progress and best practice. The six ICS’s in place are:

• Suffolk and North-East Essex
• Hertfordshire and West Essex
• Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
• Norfolk and Waveney
• Mid and South-East Essex
• Cambridge and Peterborough

Overall figures 2024

Overall percentages 2024

Overall figures for previous year

Overall percentages for previous year

(Data source: ESR (Electronic Staff Record)

There is an increase of 1.21 in the percentage of Disabled staff of: from 5.92% to 7.13% (348 staff to 455).

The number of Disabled staff in Bands 8 to 9 and VSM has increased from 16 to 26.

Relative likelihood of shortlisted to appointment

• Disabled: 0.23
• Non-Disabled: 0.24
• Relative likelihood of Non disabled candidates being appointed from shortlisting compared to Disabled candidates: 1.04 times greater

Relative likelihood of shortlisted to appointment

• Disabled: 0.21
• Non-Disabled: 0.21
• Relative likelihood of Non disabled candidates being appointed from shortlisting compared to Disabled candidates: 0.98 times greater

We are increasing the number of trained Cultural Inclusion Agents at the Trust and Cohorts underwent training in 2023 and January 2024. A further course is scheduled for April and more CIA’S are being recruited during 2024. Part of their role will be to participate in recruitment panels.

Likelihood of Disabled staff entering the capability process: 0.009890 Likelihood of non-disabled staff entering the capability process: 0.002420 Relative Likelihood of Disabled staff entering the capability process compared to non-disabled staff: 4.09

Likelihood of Disabled staff entering the capability process: 0.011494 Likelihood of non-disabled staff entering the capability process: 0.001864 Relative Likelihood of Disabled staff entering the capability process compared to non-disabled staff: 6.17

The introduction of Cultural Inclusion Agents at EEAST, a review and amendment of the Trust’s disciplinary process, has introduced a pause and review step (also known as a pre-action-review-meeting (pre-arm), rather than moving straight to the formal process.

There has been a slight decrease in Disabled staff reporting bullying, harassment, and abuse.

However, the FTSU (Freedom to speak up) team developed an annual engagement plan to promote the team and explain how to raise a concern. FTSU Guardians are assigned to each of our Equality networks and visit Ambulance Stations to be available to staff. An Executive communication regarding FTSU runs twice a month and the FTSU Guardian Lead attends the quarterly EDI Group meetings to provide updates and emerging themes.

9b) Has your Trust taken action to facilitate the voices of Disabled staff in your organisation to be heard? (Yes) or (No): YES

• Continuation of EEAST Disability Support Network.
• Active members of National Ambulance Disability network
• McKinsey survey commissioned last year and being repeated during 2024.
• EEAST Strategy consultation /Quarterly pulse surveys/ Exec Q&A
• Individual stories shared on EAST 24 from DSN members for Disability History month.
• 1st Ambulance Trust to achieve the Bronze Dyslexia friendly quality mark.
• DSN presented paper at People Committee raising any concerns challenges at Exec level.
• EDS22 consultation (staff element).
• Chair of the DSN attends the quarterly EDI Group meetings.
• WDES 2023/24 action plan.
• Contribute to Equality Impact Assessments.
• Celebrating Disability History Month and staff shared experiences of their disabilities.
• Networks stand at Leadership Development launch at Newmarket – opportunities for people to talk about any issues or challenges.
• Celebrated Neurodiversity week – attended Dyslexia show at NEC Birmingham.

Percentage difference between the organisation’s Board voting membership and its organisation’s overall workforce, disaggregated:

• By voting membership of the Board.
• By Executive membership of the Board. The Trust Board does (voting and non-voting) and the shows 0% as Disabled.

Board Members

Percentage difference between the organisation’s board voting membership and its organisation’s overall workforce:

As at 31 Mar 2023:

As at 31 Mar 2024:

As at 31 Mar 2023

As at 31 Mar 2024

Our Action Plan has evolved from the data and also from EEAST’s Inclusivity Plan which has 3 over-arching themes with objectives under-pinning them.

• Attract and retain an inclusive workforce.
• Embed equitable and fair practices.
• Develop and equip the entire workforce.

Key areas of focus for 2024/25 are:

• Metric 2: Relative likelihood of non-disabled candidates being appointed from shortlisting compared to Disabled candidates
• Metric 3: Relative likelihood of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled staff entering the formal capability process
• Metric 4a:
  • ii) Percentage of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from managers.
  • iii) Percentage of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from colleagues in the last 12 months.
• Metric 4b: Percentage of Disabled staff compared to non-disabled saying that the last time they experienced harassment, bullying or abuse at work, they or a colleague reported it.

View the full WDES Action Plan for 2024.