Discrimination level in public service 'disturbing'

The level of discrimination in the public service is "disturbing", the chief executive of the Equality Authority has said.

Niall Crowley was speaking at the publication of an information leaflet for the Health Service Executive (HSE) on ensuring equality of access and treatment.

The leaflet, Equal Status Acts 2000 to to 2004 and Provision of Health Services, highlights the legal responsibility of those providing health services not to discriminate against anyone on the nine grounds set out in the Acts. These grounds are gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Travelling community.

The leaflet is published in partnership with the HSE, which has also appointed Patrick O'Leary as head of equality and diversity to drive implementation of an equality agenda throughout the service.

He told The Irish Times that while the HSE had "always had a social inclusion remit" it had to engage with minority groups to see what they needed to make the health service fully accessible.

He said an action plan was being developed which would look at such things as whether ethnic minorities actually knew what healthcare they had a right to and why the gay and lesbian communities had higher levels of depression, self-harm and a suicide level seven times that of the heterosexual population.

Mr Crowley said the HSE's lead in focusing on equality was "so important" and he hoped it would be followed by other areas in the public sector.

"About 25 per cent of complaints we get about discrimination are about treatment from public service bodies," he said. "That is disturbing." He agreed that the most important determinant of a person's access to quality healthcare was their socio-economic status, and reiterated his wish that this ground be added to the provisions of the Equal Status Act.

He said any organisation serious about addressing discrimination should have procedures including a clear policy against discrimination; a named person responsible for equality; an equality action plan based on a review of existing policies and equality training for all staff.