Policy and Purpose
Policy
NHS Golden Jubilee is striving to be an inclusive employer where all staff have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. We know that by investing in our workforce, we can deliver better services and improve patient care.
The Equality Act 2010 requires organisations to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in order to make sure workers with disabilities, or long term physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs.
There are legal requirements to make reasonable adjustments, which are often complex and different depending on the nature of a person's individual circumstances. This reasonable adjustment policy does not seek to explain how we will approach every situation; it is intended as a general statement of our policy in order to:
- confirm our commitment to improving accessibility for everybody,
- set out some of the basic principles of our legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled people,
- set out the factors that we will consider in dealing with requests for reasonable adjustments, and
- provide a non-exhaustive set of examples of reasonable adjustments.
Where a staff member faces barriers in the workplace and would benefit from adjustments which would improve their efficiency or productivity, managers are guided to consider these in a positive light, without undue concern for the legal definition of disability.
It should also be noted that reasonable adjustments will not always be long-term arrangements, there may be occasion where a member of staff needs temporary adjustments made, which enable them to remain at work or return to work. But will not require to continue indefinitely.
Purpose
The purpose of this instruction is:
- To raise awareness amongst all managers and staff of the legal, moral, and social obligations to make reasonable adjustments for people who are disabled or who have a long term health condition, and in particular, the requirements under the Equality Act (2010).
- To encourage disabled staff to declare their information in order to enable NHS Golden Jubilee to manage the request for ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ and to feel confident in the knowledge that they will be supported by Health Scotland should they require them.
- To provide managers who are responsible for arranging adjustments with information about their obligations under this policy, the procedure to follow, examples of adjustments that can be made and sources of support and guidance.
