This snapshot, taken on 05/11/2009, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
Department of Health

Website of the Department of Health

Please note that this website has a UK government access keys system.

About the Pacesetters programme  

  • Last modified date:
    26 June 2009
About the Pacesetters programme

Within each of the six SHA areas, three trusts will participate in the programme. The overall aim of the programme is to deliver equality and diversity improvements and innovations resulting in:

  • Patient, service user, staff and community involvement in the design and delivery of services
  • Reduced health inequalities for patients and service users and working environments that are fair and free of discrimination.

The inequalities are those arising from discrimination on account of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation and gender identity. In the language of the programme, these are the six equality strands.

EHRG will work with the participating SHAs and their respective trusts to apply service improvement methods to test and implement innovation and good practice, and to evaluate which of these can be applied to other settings and locations.

Pacesetters Change Ideas

Each SHA and its trusts will work on a range of local and core issues. Each participating trust will take on three local issues, all with a patient-focus. Working with the Delivery Framework, EHRG will assist trusts to identify patient issues where health gains are likely to be significant. The actual “local” elements to be tackled will be determined based on a Baseline Audit that EHRG has prepared, together with local evidence and local consultation. In a SHA area, the three participating Trusts, should between them, cover all six equality strands.

The “core” elements, which will be suggested by DH, will cover both workforce and patient care issues, and comprise:

  • promoting dignity and respect, including tackling bullying, in the workplace
  • developing flexible working options, particularly for staff from communities that experience inequalities
  • improving and using “equality” data collections for both patients/service users and the workforce
  • improving the health status of Gypsies and Travellers.

Participation and engagement

community participation
No image map

Community participation will be a significant element of the programme. SHAs and their trusts will work in partnership with local populations, patients and service users to test innovative models of community participation. Pacesetters SHAs will also be asked to “buddy” with a neighbouring SHA. Buddy SHAs will take a similar approach to identifying, addressing and embedding equality issues and take-up findings from the programme to apply to their own local situations. In this way, learning will be spread across the NHS.

We strongly encourage and welcome the involvement of local communities in the Pacesetters programme, and we invite you to be part of our newsletter.  If you would like to share any of your own innovations and good work with us, we would love to hear from you, please email any enquiries to:

Access keys