Equality, Diversity and Human Rights, Level 1

What it covers

The nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010, the forms of conduct the Act prohibits, and where each one turns up in a GP practice. Reasonable adjustments, the Accessible Information Standard and booking an interpreter, including British Sign Language. The Human Rights Act 1998 and the public sector equality duty in plain words, and what to do when a patient or a colleague crosses the line.

Who it is for

Everyone who works in the practice, including volunteers: reception and administration, practice managers, healthcare assistants, nurses, pharmacists, GPs and trainees.

By the end you will be able to

• Name the nine protected characteristics and the conduct the Equality Act prohibits.
• Tell direct, indirect, arising from disability, failure to adjust, harassment and victimisation apart.
• Make reasonable adjustments and meet a recorded communication need, including interpreters.
• Apply the Human Rights Act and the public sector equality duty in practice.
• Act on discrimination from a patient or a colleague, and raise concerns.

Modules

1. Who the law protects
2. Getting through the door
3. Rights, duty and numbers
4. At the front desk
5. Between colleagues

Content mapped to the learning outcomes of the Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1: Equality, Diversity and Human Rights. Law named: Equality Act 2010, sections 4, 13, 15, 19, 20, 26, 27 and 149; Human Rights Act 1998.

Sources

• Equality Act 2010, section 4: the protected characteristics
• Equality Act 2010, section 6: disability
• Equality Act 2010, section 9: race
• Equality Act 2010, section 10: religion or belief
• Equality Act 2010, section 13: direct discrimination
• Equality Act 2010, section 15: discrimination arising from disability
• Equality Act 2010, section 17: pregnancy and maternity discrimination, non-work cases
• Equality Act 2010, section 19: indirect discrimination
• Equality Act 2010, section 20: duty to make adjustments
• Equality Act 2010, Schedule 2, paragraph 2: services and public functions, reasonable adjustments
• Equality Act 2010, section 26: harassment
• Equality Act 2010, section 27: victimisation
• Equality Act 2010, section 29: provision of services and public functions
• Equality Act 2010, section 40A: employer duty to prevent sexual harassment of employees
• Equality Act 2010, section 109: liability of employers and principals
• Equality Act 2010, section 149: public sector equality duty
• Equality Act 2010, section 212: general interpretation, the meaning of substantial
• Human Rights Act 1998, section 6: acts of public authorities
• Human Rights Act 1998, Schedule 1: the Articles
• Core Skills Training Framework (England) Statutory/Mandatory Subject Guide v1.1, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights: key learning outcomes (Skills for Health, archived copy)
• Accessible Information, DAPB1605 Amd 30/2025, published 3 July 2025 (NHS Standards Directory)
• Accessible Information Standard: implementation guidance (NHS England)
• Accessible Information Standard: requirements, DAPB1605 (NHS England)
• Guidance for commissioners: interpreting and translation services in primary care (NHS England, 2018)
• National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015, Schedule 3 paragraph 21: refusal of applications for inclusion in the list of patients
• National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015, Schedule 3 paragraph 24: removal from the list at the request of the contractor
• National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015, Schedule 3 paragraph 25: removal from the list of patients who are violent
• Assistance dogs: a guide for all businesses (Equality and Human Rights Commission)
• Guidance on patient registration for GP practices (British Medical Association)
• The importance of human rights in our approach, the FREDA principles (Care Quality Commission)
• Core20PLUS5 (adults): an approach to reducing healthcare inequalities (NHS England)
• NHS population screening: information for trans and non-binary people (GOV.UK)
• Equality Act 2010, section 21: failure to comply with the duty to make adjustments
• Equality Act 2010, Schedule 1, paragraph 6: cancer, HIV infection and multiple sclerosis
• Equality Act 2010, section 124A: compensation uplift in sexual harassment cases
• Employment Rights Act 2025, sections 20 and 21: protection from harassment and discrimination
• Health and Social Care Act 2012, section 250: powers to publish information standards
• Employment Rights Act 2025: harassment law changes, sexual harassment (Acas)

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GPAtlas is not accredited, verified or endorsed by Skills for Health or NHS England. Acceptance of this training is at the discretion of your employer, who remains responsible for confirming it meets local requirements. Your employer may require more frequent refreshers than the guidance period; the practice's own policy applies. Some pictures and films in our courses, and the film narration, are made with AI tools. We check every one for accuracy before we publish it.