South West London CCG Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21

satisfaction and better patient safety. We are working to ensure that everybody is treated with dignity and respect at work. We have a duty to call out racism and discrimination whenever we see or experience it and to create an environment that enables people to raise any concerns. We all have a part to play in creating a fairer society and our CCG has a special role in helping to reduce health inequalities in our communities. We understand how important it is to all of us that the NHS commissions and provides services that are fair, accessible and flexible to meet the needs of our diverse communities. We understand and recognise that: • People can experience inequalities, discrimination, harassment and other barriers. • Patients should be at the centre of our decision making, and we can deliver high quality, accessible services that tackle inequalities and respond to personal needs. • An environment of dignity, tolerance and mutual respect should be created, maintained and experienced by all our patients and staff. The Equality Act 2010 places a requirement on public bodies to demonstrate how they are: • Eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act. • Advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristics and people who do not share it. • Fostering good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it. • Being transparent about how they are responding to the equality duty, and are required to publish relevant, proportionate information showing compliance annually. We are determined to carry out these duties and ensure they inform how we plan and operate as an organisation. Addressing health inequalities across South West London The South West London CCG is committed to addressing the health inequalities that exist across our boroughs. The Covid-19 pandemic, the death of George Floyd in the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked opportunities for authentic conversations around race, racism and wider inequalities in a way that has not been done before, starting a national debate on racism and race in the UK. The message we have been hearing from our communities, clinicians and staff has been clear. We must build on our progress going further and faster to ensure that our services and employment practices are fair, accessible, appropriate for the diverse communities we serve and the Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21 | 87