Both of our surgeries have step-free access with automatic doors. Adapted toilet facilities for the disabled are available at both surgeries. We also have limited disabled parking spaces available.

Unfortunately we do not have a lift, but we are always able to offer appointments in our ground-floor consultation rooms. Please let our Patient Services Team know if you will need a ground-floor appointment and we will be happy to arrange this.

• We have a portable hearing aid loop at each site which can be used at front desk, and in consultation rooms. Let the receptionist know at front desk that you need the hearing aid loop, and they will activate it for you.
• We are now partnered with SignLive, an app which connects you with a British Sign Language interpreter so you can call us at the surgery for free. The doctor can also then call you back through SignLive. You can download the app from the Google Play Store or App Store.
• We can also arrange in-person BSL interpreters for your appointments. When you book an appointment with us, please ask us to book an interpreter for you.
• You can contact our Patient Services Team online between 4:30pm-8:30pm, or at any time via email.

This website is fully compatible with screen-readers, including alt text for every image.

If you need to receive information in a specific format, for example in a large font size, or via text message or email instead of letter, then please let us know. We will make a note on your medical records.

When you come for an appointment, our staff will come and collect you from the waiting room.

You can change the language that this website shows in. Click the 'Language' button at the top of the page and pick your language.

For patients who are more comfortable speaking a language other than English, we have access to Language Line who provide instant, round-the-clock access to thousands of world-class, medically trained interpreters over the telephone.

Just tell us "I need Language Line" and which language you speak. We can sort the rest.

If you have difficulty using the telephone, you can contact our Patient Services Team online between 4:30pm-8:30pm, or at any time via email.

Please let us know if you find it difficult or distressing to stay in our waiting room. We can add a note to your records to find an alternative, such as waiting in your car and receiving a phone call when the healthcare professional is ready to see you, or finding a quiet room inside the surgery if we have one free.

The EasyHealth website has over 500 leaflets which are easy to read and understand, with pictures and very simple text.

Public Health England have also made easy read guides for the following screening programmes:

For transgender and non-binary patients, we are aware that there is a long waiting list for specialist treatment.

We will support our transgender patients in updating their medical records. We can make a note of your chosen name and preferred pronouns, and if you change your name by deed poll, we can then use this to update your official name on your medical record. You will then be issued with a new NHS number.

It's important for all patients to get the screening they need, to make sure that early signs of conditions like cancer are caught and treated. The NHS has produced a web page specifically for transgender and non-binary people to help you make sure you receive the screening you need.

The core commitment Woodlands & Clerklands Partnership is to provide fair, accessible primary care services for its registered population. The Partnership is committed to actively recognising and promoting equality and diversity within our community and believes that people who use our services, their carers and our staff should be treated with respect and dignity.

The Partnership is committed to challenging discrimination in all its forms and ensuring that equality lies at the heart of everything we do. It is our aim to be a fair and equitable organisation, one where everyone accepts differences between individuals and values the benefits that diversity brings. Ending discrimination is not simply about making our practice accessible, but about systematically identifying barriers and thus reducing inequalities.

Whether we are members of staff, patients, carers, service users, we all want to live in communities where we can all participate fully and equally. When we need to see a doctor we want this service to be delivered in ways which help inclusion.

Equality to us is about creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. It is not about treating people the same, but recognising that everyone has different needs, which need to be met in different ways.

Diversity to us is the many distinct characteristics that staff, patients, service users, and carers bring to our practice. Our Partnership recognises and values the difference within our communities and the workplace. We can learn from the differences of others and become more understanding.

As a Partnership we have a legal requirement to promote equality and set out how we plan to meet the 'general and specific duties' specified in the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010[1].

Background

The Equality Act became law in October 2010 and was subject to Amendment in 2012. It replaced all previous legislation (such as the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995). The Act is there to strengthen protection, advance equality and simplify the law. The Act has a Public Sector Equality Duty which specific duties came into force on 10th September 2011. The Act now gives protection to groups of people who experience discrimination and have protection from this legislation. These are known as protected characteristics. It is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of:

• Age
• Disability
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexual Orientation
• Gender Re-assignment
• Religion and Belief
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity