EQIA Pre-Meeting Checklist

This is the information that should be gathered before the EQIA meeting to look at how the piece of work being assessed impacts on people.

It is the responsibility of the person co-ordinating or chairing the meeting to bring all this information together in consultation with other group members.

This checklist covers step one and step two of the EQIA

Step One What are we impact assessing?

(The information included in completing step one will also be included as part of the EQIA summary on line)

1.Name of piece of work

The Communication and Handover of Health and Social Information Between Midwife and Health Visitor
  1. Formally agreed aims and objectives of the service/project/policy

To set out the requirements of midwives and health visitors when the handover of information is taking place.
  1. Description of the piece of work – What is it? What does it do? Who does it? And who is it for?

This is procedure is for midwives and health visitors to follow to ensure that record keeping and continuity of care are maintained for all women using the service.

4.What are the outcomes of the piece of work? – What will happen as a result of it? Who benefits from it and how?

The purpose of this procedure is to provide practitioners with the guidance necessary to:
  • Standardise communication and dissemination of information between midwives and health visitors
  • Provide safe, consistent, timely and effective continuity of care between midwifery and health visiting services
  • Ensure midwives and health visitors provide an integrated service designed to meet individual need
  • Fulfil clinical governance requirements through the implementation of the principles and practices of “Getting It Right For Every Child”
This means patients will be assured of continuity of care, employees will have clear expectations and the organisation is assured that there is a clear process in place.

Step Two What data and information do we already have?

1.What evidence (local, national research, service reports, data etc), if any,do you already have about how this piece of work impacts on people from equality groups?(See description of groups in section n)This information will also be used in “step three – looking at impacts”

From local cases, this procedure can be observed to be particularly important for those who may not have other support in place.

2. Have any community groups, other public bodies or voluntary sector

organisations been involved in developing or reviewing this piece of work so far?

Please give details of the groups involved and how they were involved

The appropriate professional groups which includes midwives, health visitors, local authority and voluntary sector colleagues.

3. Why is this piece of work being impact assessed now? Please tick one box

New piece of work / × / Existing piece of work / Annual review / Other

If “Other” Please give reason for impact assessing now

Notes page for recording impacts highlighted and suggested changes to piece of work

Step Three continued
Recording Impacts / Step Four What changes can be made?
Use this column to record group discussion about how you are going to decrease negative impacts and promote positive impacts.
Description of impact
Detail groups affected,
Positive or negative effect?
Description of the issue
Any direct or indirect discrimination / What change/s can be made?
What change are you recommending?
How will the change make a difference to people?
Will there be any social or financial costs?
Who will be responsible for putting the change in place?
The purpose of the procedure can be seen to have a positive impact for all equality groups, because it allows for continuity of care in all situations.
Paragraph 2 allows the Health Visitor to plan her support particularly for women with additional or intensive support needs.
Paragraph 3 also allows the midwife to highlight any additional
support needs.
Paragraph 5 refers to the midwife as female, which is not always the case, so excludes male midwives
Paragraph 6 refers to ideally a face to face meeting or a telephone call as second choice, which may exclude members of staff who have other communication support needs. / Positive – no change
Positive – the detail of support is not included in this handover document, but there should be read across with the documentation relating to patient to ensure that communication support needs, other accessibility requirements etc can be catered for.
Positive – again the detail included in the documentation is key here.
Change in language to include all midwives.
A telephone conversation or equivalent communication according to any communication support needs of the member of staff would ensure for example a midwife or health visitor with a hearing impairment would still fulfil the requirements.

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Step five – Further information to check recommendedchanges

  • Please use the table below to recordany extra information needed to verify the recommended changes.

a. Table for recording details about further information required to inform proposed changes

Do you need to get any further information, in order to either
a) inform any of the proposed changes?
or
b) to verify any impacts or key issues?
Such information might be existing research, data from services, consultation with equality groups or other people who use services / (Please tick one box)
YesNo
If “yes” please provide details below including name of person responsible for getting
the information. And the date by which such information will be provided
Associated patient documentation to be checked to ensure that support needs can be and are adequately reflected.

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