The Equality Delivery System (EDS) will support NHS Trusts to deliver better outcomes for patients and communities and better working environments for staff which are personal, fair and diverse.

It can help drive improvements to services and ensure that everyone, patients, public and staff, have a voice in how health organisations are performing.

In particular, the Equality Delivery System provides evidence to help understand how well the NHS provides services to all communities.

This survey is asking for your comments across any part of the health service you have used, from Community Services such as District Nurses and Health Visitors, to your local hospitals, GPs and Pharmacists.

There are three sections to the survey.

The first concerns trying to get better health for everyone;

the second with improving patient access and experience;

and the third with the equality of services, as the NHS must ensure all patients from all areas of the community receive fair, effective, quality care.

The Equality Act came into force in October 2010. The Act protects people on equality grounds - disability, age, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation and marriage/civil partnerships.

The Act means that public bodies like the NHS need to ask members of the public who use their services questions about these equality grounds to ensure we are reaching all sections of out community fairly.

This survey is anonymous and confidential and any information will be stored and used in line with the Data Protection Act.

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