The Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES), introduced by the NHS Equality and Diversity Council (EDC) for all NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups came into effect on 1 April 2015. This was in response to ‘The Snowy White Peaks’ a report by Roger Kline which provided compelling evidence that barriers, including poor data, are deeply rooted within the culture of the NHS.
A video clip explaining the WRES and its benefits can be viewed below:
The WRES is a mandatory requirement embedded within the NHS Contract to ensure effective collection, analysis and use of workforce data to address the under-representation of Black Minority Ethnic (BME) staff across the NHS. It will require the Trust to demonstrate progress against nine standard indicators specifically focused at Race equality.
The Trust is responsible for developing action plans and reporting outcomes to the Board, who will monitor and scrutinise progress against the WRES metrics. The Trust BME staff network, staff side and key stakeholder groups will be kept up to date on progress.
The WRES has clear links with the Equality Delivery System 2 (EDS2) which also became mandatory for NHS Trusts, including CCG’s from April 2015.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is committed to tackling race discrimination and creating an NHS where the talents of all staff are valued and developed.
Our equality annual report on the Workforce Race Equality Standard will be a benchmark which will enable us to plan improvements and monitor progress going forward.