The development of the PPN equality, diversity, and inclusion audit tool: What it is and how to use it?

Abstract

There are a host of initiatives within the National Health Service (NHS) to increase the diversity of the workforce. The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is funded by NHS England to enable a membership network and a platform for discussion, consultation, and development across the psychological professions. Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are key priorities for the NHS workforce, and the PPN South-East (PPN SE) commissioned a project aimed at exploring the facilitators and barriers to increasing the diversity of the workforce. As part of this project, following stakeholder consultation, the PPN SE EDI Audit Tool was devised to aid the development of effective and accountable EDI action plans based upon increasing the diversity of expert by experience involvement, students/trainees, and the NHS workforce. The aim of this paper is to provide a rationale for the Audit Tool, and detail step by step instructions explaining how to complete it, to help with accountability and planning for Psychological Training Programmes, Higher Education Institutions, Professional Bodies and NHS Trusts.