Transcript Health inequalities impact assessment (HIIA): What action is taken

Health Inequalities Impact
Assessment (HIIA)
What works for HIIA?
Pauline Craig
Head of Equality
NHS Health Scotland
What is HIIA?
• An integrated approach to impact assessment based on an
equalities and human rights framework to tackling health
inequalities.
• Encourages consideration of the intersections of different
characteristics and potential impacts on individuals, communities
and human rights.
• The tool was developed following a recommendation in Equally Well
(2008) and was piloted in 2010 with NHS Boards and the Scottish
Government. Been in use since 2011:
www.healthscotland.com/equalities/hiia/inpractice.aspx
Examples of recommendations
implemented
Distinction between HIIAs reviewing hospital builds/relocating
services and those HIIAs carried out for health improvement
programmes and national strategies.
Hospital builds and relocating services
• Changed timings of sexual health clinics and developed a range
of easy read materials to enable access to LGBT communities.
• Review of signage resulted in ‘you are here’ maps being located
throughout the hospital.
Health improvement programmes/national strategies
• Local health and social care partnerships required to carry out
impact assessments of local strategic plans.
• There are now designated workers promoting breast screening
services to homeless people in local health boards.
Aids and challenges
Aids
Challenges
Senior leadership buy-in
Sufficient time and commitment from
participants to take actions forward
Resources available to take
actions forward (including staff
capacity and budget)
Limited resources (although this can
be addressed if the right people are
involved from the beginning)
Effective communication
Limited co-ordinated communication
Considering relevant evidence
- enabling evidence informed
actions and planning in future.
Limited availability and use of
data/evidence
HIIA Experiences
‘The HIIA partly changed the attitudes and understanding of
equality issues related to our work, and this changed more
positively throughout the year.’
‘The HIIA process helped us in decision making for the build, and
helped to consider ‘health’ of the population groups rather than
focusing on justice of equality groups.’
For more information:
HIIA: Answers to FAQ (June 2014)
www.healthscotland.com/documents/23116.aspx