The Equality Act 2010 – protest to from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society Essay

"The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society" (Gov.uk, 2013). Replacing anti-discrimination laws prior, with a single Act, making it easier to comprehend and strengthening protection for the general public. "It sets out the different ways in which it's unlawful to treat someone" (Acas.org.uk, 2016).
The NHS previously has clear principles and values about fairness and equality, as set out in the NHS Constitution, and the laws under the Equality Act 2010 reinforce many of these. Upon visiting healthcare professionals such as Doctors, Nurses and Dentists, some may rely on NHS social care services for help with long-term disabilities or conditions. Whenever a patient is in need of healthcare, medical treatment or social care, the individual has the right to be treated fairly and not to be discriminated against, regardless of their 'protected characteristics' for example age, sex, gender, religion, disability etc. Laws under the Equality Act establish that every patient should be treated with respect and dignity as an individual (Nhs.uk, 2016). The laws confirm that it is crucial for all NHS organisations to make sure health and social care services are fair and meet the needs of everyone, whatever their circumstances or background, for the first time the law additionally protects those who are at risk of discrimination by association or perception for example, a carer of a disabled person (Nhs.uk, 2016).
Codes of practice and laws or legislation demonstrate what is non-discriminatory practice in health and social care. Codes of practice guide healthcare professionals, informing them as to how they should practice, for example, nurses and midwives have a code of conduct set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council stating they must 'treat people with dignity and treat them as individuals' aligned with the Single Equality Act, if they fail to meet these standards, a process of investigation takes place, which may result in the individual being struck off the register (NMC, 2015). Healthcare professionals cannot prejudge individuals or refuse to treat them due to disapproving their protected characteristics such as their gender, religion and disability, for example, if a Doctor refuses to treat a drug addict for an injury, he/she could be reported to their governing body the General Medical Council, who will then investigate the event which occurred. As aforementioned, professionals who break their professional code of conduct may be struck off the register, which results in them not being able to practice. The GMC recognises that failings in care at Mid Staffordshire and other inquiries have underlined that some people are not receiving the standards of care they should expect from health professionals, including doctors. This includes children, young people, older people, people with learning difficulties, and people with different communication needs, and have created. The GMC (2014) published a strategy aim for 2014-17, made parallel with the Single Equality Act 2010 "aiming to achieve a diverse profile at senior levels, and to attract a diverse pool of applicants" in their recruitment. "Work more closely with doctor