Equality monitoring 

Equality monitoring involves collecting information about patients' protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, and sexual orientation) to identify needs, address inequalities, and ensure everyone's voice is heard.

Our goal is to provide accessible and inclusive services to everyone in our community.

How do we use your information?

The collected data helps us:

• Provide personalised care
• Remove barriers and improve access to services
• Understand community needs and identify service gaps
• Assess service usage
• Support reporting requirements (using anonymised data)
• Inform future service development

Why is equality monitoring important?

We ask about protected characteristics to:

• Tailor care to your needs
• Identify inequalities or barriers to accessing services and inform improvements

If you prefer not to answer, you can choose 'prefer not to say' for any question. Answering helps us better understand your needs and those of people across Devon.

When and how do I complete the form?

The form is usually sent with appointment letters or provided at the first appointment. You should bring the completed form to your first appointment. If you prefer not to share this information initially, you may do so later in your care.

Where is the information stored?

Information is stored securely and confidentially, adhering to the Data Protection Act 2018. You can contact your healthcare worker if you want to change or withdraw your information.

Who can I speak to if I have questions?

• Contact your healthcare worker or relevant service with questions about the form.
• For alternative formats or languages, contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at dpt.pals@nhs.net or 01392 675686.
• For questions about equality, diversion, and inclusion, email dpn-tr.equality@nhs.net.

How sharing your information helps:

One of our Experts by Experience explains how sharing data benefits individual patients and the wider population: “I am prescribed medication as a result of a disability. This medication is not commonly prescribed, but commonly used illegally and was therefore an exclusionary factor for accessing services. After sharing my data, not only could I access the service, the department received training and the Trust is working on specific policies to improve accessibility for those prescribed this medication.”

Having an opportunity to share data can also be really powerful. A patient accessing our Older Person’s Mental Health service appreciated being asked about their sexual orientation, stating that “services usually don’t ask due to my age.” 

TALKWORKS and the Bristol Dementia Service have also been able to make their services more inclusive as a result of people sharing their information.