How well are we doing?
Every year we test our performance against the national equality delivery system (EDS2). You can have a look at how we are doing in this document (coming soon).
What is the Equality Delivery System (EDS)?
The Equality Delivery System (EDS) is an improvement framework that helps NHS organisations assess and improve how effectively they meet the needs of diverse communities and their workforce. It provides a structured approach to identifying good practice, areas for development, and opportunities to strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion across services and corporate functions.
Although NHS England no longer collects, quality assures or centrally signs off EDS returns, the framework continues to be prioritised by the Trust and used locally as an important tool for improvement, assurance and accountability. Responsibility for delivery, governance, review and publication now sits with ourselves as an individual provider organisation and we monitor this through local governance arrangements.
At South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, the EDS forms part of our wider commitment to advancing equality, tackling health inequalities and ensuring the voices of people who use services, carers, staff and community partners help shape improvements. It aligns with our Trust Involvement Approach.
Our Annual EDS cycle
The Trust undertakes an annual cycle of activity to support the EDS process. Timings are approximate and may vary depending on organisational priorities and stakeholder availability.
Autumn (October – November): review and learning
- Review outcomes, evidence and grading from the previous assessment cycle
- Identify learning, achievements and opportunities for improvement
- Consider feedback from stakeholders involved in previous assessments
- Agree priorities and areas of focus for the coming year
Winter: (January – February)
Planning and stakeholder engagement
- Launch the next EDS assessment cycle
- Identify areas, services, pathways or themes for review
- Engage with people who use services, carers, staff, community organisations and partner agencies
- Confirm assessment arrangements and review activities
Spring and Summer (March – August): assessment and evidence gathering
- Collect and review evidence against the EDS domains and outcomes
- Undertake stakeholder engagement sessions and assessment activities
- Consider feedback, lived experience and available performance information
- Develop draft grades and identify improvement actions
Throughout the Year: monitoring and delivery
- Ongoing evidence collection and quality assurance
- Regular progress meetings to oversee delivery and maintain momentum
- Monitoring of actions arising from assessments
- Reporting through the Trust’s governance arrangements and relevant EDI groups
Reporting and publication
We report the EDS2022 through Internal Governance through to Board, and externally on our website.
The most recent copy of our report can be found here.
Get involved
The EDS relies on meaningful involvement from people who use services, carers, staff, community groups and partner organisations. Your experiences and perspectives help us understand what is working well and where improvements are needed.
If you would like to find out more about the Equality Delivery System or get involved in future assessments and engagement activities, please contact involvingpeople@swyt.nhs.uk
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EDS Reporting Template
The EDS Report is a template which is designed to give an overview of the organisation’s most recent EDS implementation and grade.
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