Publish date: 16 June 2025
We all have a role to play in improving healthcare and we need to collectively improve our data collection on protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership) to make sure our services are inclusive and equitable, identify inequalities, and inform service development. This data is important and is used to personalise care, remove barriers to accessing services, and understand our community need.
Top tips:
- Always allow patients and service users to self-report information about their identity and life circumstances, and never make assumption
- Always respect patient and service user consent and choice
- Choose an appropriate time to ask for this information, acknowledging that patients and service users may not feel comfortable or able to share at first
- Explain that data is being collected to improve our services so that they are inclusive for all people
- Remind them that their information will be confidential.
These slides provide useful information and guidance and if you have any questions or need more help, please email our Strategic Equality and Diversity Lead Joe.O’Grady@merseycare.nhs.uk.
