Written question WQ93412

The Welsh Government has and will continue to invest in the workforce required to support our health system in Wales. £281.98m was invested in 2023-24 and we are maintaining this level in 2024-25. This will support education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales.

Within Health Education and Improvement Wales contracts, education providers have certain standards to meet in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion.

These include:

• Education providers must offer a service to prospective students to advise and support them to complete high-quality UCAS applications.

• The commissioner aims to ensure that equality of opportunity is actively embedded in all that HEIW do. The education provider is expected to provide programmes where diversity is valued, and equality and inclusion is a core aspect of how education is delivered.

• The education provider must safeguard individuals (including, without limitation, students, service users, its staff) with protected characteristics from unfair treatment and promote a fair and more equal society.

• The education provider is required to proactively address discrimination towards individuals or groups (including, without limitation, staff, students, service users) with protected characteristics in both the academic setting and in placement.

• The education provider will provide annual intake and exit Student monitoring information regarding equality, diversity and inclusion (as set out in section 25 of this specification).

• Education providers will provide and present an annual equality report at the third round of contract business meeting (quality), attaching a copy of the education provider’s equality and diversity policy and most recent annual equality report, including the number and outcome of internal and external complaints in relation to the Equality Act 2010 (as amended). The equality report must highlight any potential variations in experience, perceptions, or attainment for different groups with protected characteristics, including those from differing socio-economic background (this is differential attainment).

• The equality report should detail evidence of the education provider’s health school/department’s previous 12-month activities which:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination.

• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share protected characteristics and those who don’t.

• Foster or encourage good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t.

• Address the attainment gap of students from under-served groups.