The Equality Act 2010 came into force in October 2010 and provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. There are nine protected characteristics under the Act, one of which is disability.
The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as difficulty in performing day-to-day tasks for a period of twelve months or longer because of a physical or mental impairment. This includes people with visible disabilities, such as wheelchair users, as well as those with invisible disabilities such as people with dyslexia. From 2005, people with certain long-term illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, coronary heart disease or HIV, were also considered disabled from the point of diagnosis
NHS Forth Valley Disability Service
The Disability Equality & Access Service is located within the Forth Valley Sensory Centre; the centres core opening hours are 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday; however pre-arranged appointments are available out with these times, for visitors to the Disability Equality & Access Service.
The service covers the Forth Valley community from Tyndrum in the North to Bo’ness in the south.
The team consists of:
- Disability Advisor – team manager, training, advice and guidance
- Disability Equality Advisor – training, advice, interpretation/languages other than English
- Disability Administrative Co-ordinator – interpretation/Deaf BSL community
We are here to assist NHS staff, patients, carers and visitors have equality of support and access to information and services.
Basic Sensory Impairments Awareness Resource
Following on from the successful delivery of basic sensory impairment awareness training to around 500 staff across the NHS in Scotland, NHS Education for Scotland have developed materials to provide a stand alone resource which staff can work through at their own pace and also a back up resource for staff who participated in the training.
Any practical advice on Sensory Impairments can also be obtained by contacting the NHS Forth Valley Disability Service on: 01324 590892
Interpretation and Translation
The Disability service provides a 24/7 interpretation and translation service. Please contact the department for further details. Details can be found in the attached leaflet (leaflet attached to web page
Following incidences of ‘Bogus Callers’ happening in the Forth Valley area, work was completed with the Police and NHS Forth Valley Disability service to develop the enclosed information card.
The following will provide further information and guidance on how to support people with disabilities.