Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether equality, diversity and inclusion spending in the NHS provides value for money in relation to patients' health needs; and whether they plan to initiate a review into that spending.

The National Health Service provides a service that is available for all, and good equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles ensure that everyone can access healthcare.

NHS England does not routinely collect data on EDI spend across the NHS. NHS England does not have plans to initiate a review into EDI spending, and the Department does not plan to initiate a review into this spending.

Embedding inclusive leadership and promoting equal opportunities and fairness is part of the NHS Constitution, the Equality Act 2010 and is one of the recommendations of the Messenger Review. Implementing EDI principles is the personal responsibility of every member of staff in the NHS.

EDI roles are wide-ranging and help the NHS meet its legal duties set out for public bodies in the Equality Act 2010, through the public sector equality duty and the principles that guide the NHS Constitution.