Equality and Diversity

Equal opportunities

Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is committed to an Equal Opportunities Policy.

All staff employed by the Trust shall be offered equal opportunities in employment irrespective of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, religion, creed, colour, ethnic origin, disability or age.

In operating recruitment, training and promotion policies, the Trust and its employees shall develop and practice positively the concept of equal opportunities.

The Trust recognises its responsibility to ensure that the terms of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and other relevant legislation are observed.

No job application or employee will receive less favourable treatment than another on grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, age, religion, creed, colour, ethnic origin or disability.

Any direct or indirect racial or sexual discrimination or harassment will be treated as serious as a disciplinary offence.

All selection decisions, either on recruitment or promotion, will be solely based on the individuals ability to perform the job at the required standard.

All employees will be encouraged to develop themselves to enable them to progress within the organisation according to their true potential.

The Trust has adopted a policy which not only embodies the rights of current and potential employees to equality of opportunity, but also stresses that responsibility for making the policy work in practice rests with all managers, supervisors, staff representatives and individual employees.

Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust will seek to ensure a positive attitude towards equality of opportunity and expects the contents of this policy to be communicated to each employee by their manager.