Equality and anti-discrimination legislation in health care

The NHS constitution for England (Department of Health, 2009) sets out the rights and responsibilities of patients and staff in relation to the delivery of health care. A key requirement for staff is to ensure that they not to discriminate against patients or staff, and adhere to equal opportunities, equality and human rights legislation. Successive governments have introduced a varied range of anti-discrimination laws that district nurses are required to abide by. These have often developed in isolation to one another, with distinct requirements and rules applying to different forms of equality law. It is essential that nurses working in the community are aware of these rules and that they fulfil their duty under the NHS constitution, the law and their code of conduct.