Equality and Diversity Courses

The Gold Guide 5^th Edition May 2014 clearly states that all members of an ARCP panel should have been trained in Equality and Diversity and that this training is updated every 3 years. Anyone who sits on an interview panel, an ARCP panel or appeal, or is involved in investigations, especially in relation to bullying and harassment, also requires Equality and Diversity training. Trainees have challenged HEEM in relation to discrimination around ARCPs and Recruitment, and it is important that staff are trained, aware and mindful of these issues.

HEEM recommends that all named Clinical and Educational Supervisors have been trained in equality and diversity every 3 years to meet the Gold Guide requirements.

Various Courses are available and HEEM approves the following as appropriate for training.

Your Trust may have run training in Equality and Diversity. This face to face learning will be accepted, if it covers the module objectives in the National Skills Academy Health course, (above) which we would anticipate taking approximately 1 hour, and if you have received a certificate for this.
Equality and Diversity training online through doctors.net. You will need to register with doctors.net to access this training package. http://www.doctors.net.uk/home/homepage.aspx?areaid=2&msrc=top
Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Online package available through The National Skills Academy Healthwebsite. You will need to register for this course, but registration will take 5 minutes, and an email will be sent to you. http://www.nsahealth.org.uk/e-learning/courses-we-offer/39-equality-diversity-human-rights. As of the 31st March 2015, the NSA is no longer able to provide this course free of charge. Your individual employer might have a contract which allows you to access this course.

HEEM also has an equality and diversity online module, which examines these issues in relation to Recruitment, selection and interviews. This would not be suitable for all trainers, or for those involved in ARCP panels but can be accessed by contacting Sarah Wheatley sarah.wheatley1@nhs.net

There will be other appropriate online and face to face courses available. If you do access any alternatives we would happily look at these and see if they can also be approved by HEEM. We would expect any courses to cover the following topics

An understanding and awareness of discrimination
An understanding of the ethical and relevant UK legislation in relation to equality, diversity and human rights
An understanding of your role, and how these policies relate to your practice as an educator

We would expect all educators who have undergone any Equality and Diversity training to have a certificate to evidence there attendance and completion.

Please contact Dan Kinnair on dan.kinnair@nhs.net with the details of any other equality and diversity courses you have accessed.