Equality in 2024: how the Department of Health and Social Care met the public sector equality duty
Published 15 September 2025
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About this report
The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 requires relevant public bodies, including the Department of Health and Social Care, to publish information at least annually to show how they comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED), and to set and publish equality objectives at least every 4 years.
This report is divided into 2 sections. Section 1 gives an overview of the work that the department has done to comply with the PSED for its public policies.
Section 2 lists the department’s equality objectives and outlines its compliance with the PSED in relation to the workforce and the shared commitment for the Civil Service to become the UK’s most inclusive employer. This section also sets out DHSC’s current workforce data and how data and evidence is used to inform activities.
Both sections cover the reporting period from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024.
Introduction
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) helps people to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. As guardians of the health and care system, it is the department’s job to ensure that the system delivers the best possible health and care outcomes for the people of England.
The PSED, in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, is a legal requirement to ensure that public bodies, like DHSC, take account of equality when shaping policy and delivering services. Policy makers and decision makers, including ministers, must have due regard to the following 3 equality aims in the duty when developing or changing any policies or services that impact people:
- to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the act
- to advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it
- to foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it
Documentation detailing how decisions have been reached is required to demonstrate compliance under the duty, including a record of how a policy was considered under the specific matters set out in section 149 of the act. When introducing new programmes and/or making a major amendment to an existing programme, the department carries out an equality impact assessment (EqIA).
Advancing equality of opportunity involves:
- considering how decisions can remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
- taking steps to meet the needs of people who share a particular protected characteristic and where those needs are different from the needs of those who do not share that protected characteristic
- encouraging people with particular protected characteristics to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low
The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- pregnancy and maternity status
- race
- religion or belief (including lack of belief)
- sex
- sexual orientation
- marriage and civil partnership status (only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
It is known that a person’s protected characteristics can interact with, and impact on, their experiences. As such, taking an intersectional approach - that is, looking at a combination of protected characteristics - can give an organisation a better understanding of people’s experiences and outcomes. Where such evidence is available, this can inform better policymaking and delivery, as well as improve the understanding of diversity in an organisation and inform diversity and inclusion action plans.
DHSC also extends its equal opportunities policies and practices for its employees to other characteristics not covered by the Equality Act 2010, namely:
- working patterns
- caring responsibilities
- geographical location
- socioeconomic background
As part of the Secretary of State’s duty to address health inequalities, the department must consider factors such as geographical location and socioeconomic status in its policies.
The equality duty aims to get public bodies to consider equality as part of their day-to-day business. It requires organisations to consider how they can contribute to advancing equality in the design of their policies and the delivery of services. Decisions taken without considering the impact on different groups are unlikely to have the intended effect and may lead to greater disparities and poorer outcomes. However, carefully considering equality issues also makes good business sense as organisations that meet the diverse needs of their users and employees are likely to achieve their objectives more effectively.
Equality in our policies
This section provides evidence to demonstrate compliance with the equality duty in the period from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024.
This section covers a broad overview of DHSC’s work and policies. It aims to give a sense of what the department has done but is not intended to cover all areas of work. Information on other work and policies may also be included in reports by the department’s arm’s length bodies (ALBs) or by other government departments where they lead on particular issues.
Mental health
Work is ongoing across DHSC and its ALBs at both national and local levels to tackle disparities in the way that people from different ethnic groups or with other protected characteristics access mental health services, and improve their experiences when they do.
Improving mental health and wellbeing
The department has been working closely with mental health stakeholders to inform and shape the future vision and delivery plan for mental health and care services in England.
Insights from 2 roundtable workshops held in spring 2023 on adult, children and young people’s mental health, along with important stakeholder perspectives on the unique challenges of mental health, were used to shape the 10 Year Health Plan during 2024 - helping to guide the 3 strategic shifts toward prevention, community-based care and digital transformation.
Early support hubs
In 2024, the department announced that it is providing £7 million of top-up funding for 24 community-based early support hubs to expand their current services across the financial year 2025 to 2026. These early support hubs provide open-access, drop-in mental health services that assist a wide range of children and young people with different issues at an early stage, without the need for a referral or doctor’s appointment.
Mental Health Bill
The Mental Health Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on 6 November 2024. The bill completed report stage on 2 April 2025 and was introduced to the House of Commons in late April 2025.
Data shows that people from an ethnic minority background are still disproportionately more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and also to be subject to a community treatment order upon discharge. The measures in this bill are intended to strengthen the rights and voices of patients subject or at risk of being subject to the act. They add statutory weight to patients’ rights to be involved in planning for their care, and to inform choices regarding the treatment they receive. The reforms will increase the scrutiny of detention to ensure it is only used when and as long as necessary. The bill also seeks to limit the use of the act to detain people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Advocacy pilots
The department has been piloting models of culturally appropriate advocacy in Birmingham and Manchester. These pilots are exploring opportunities to improve experiences and outcomes for people from ethnic minority groups who are detained under the Mental Health Act, including through testing models of advocacy provision which specifically acknowledge and address differing cultural needs and preferences. The pilots will measure a range of outcomes including at a population level - for example, the impact on the number of detentions and readmissions, and the length of stay in mental health hospitals for people from ethnic minorities. They will also measure outcomes at service-user level, such as improved patient experience.
NHS talking therapies and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme
NHS talking therapies provides National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended treatment to adults with common mental health conditions. The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme supports people living with severe mental illness to find and keep employment.
In the Autumn Statement 2023, the government announced £795 million additional funding for expansions of talking therapies to deliver approximately 384,000 additional courses of treatment and IPS, to ensure approximately 100,000 additional people can access the service throughout 2024 to 2029. The Office for Budget Responsibility scored these policies as increasing labour supply by 20,000 (10,000 for each programme) which has a projected cumulative impact of £300 million in reduced welfare spending over the 5 years.
The funding will broaden access without targeting specific groups, though it supports people with mental health conditions - a protected characteristic under disability law. Positive impacts are expected for service users, including ethnic minorities, as increased session numbers may improve outcomes where interpreters or specific care settings are needed.
Women’s health
In England, women have a longer life expectancy than men, with life expectancy at birth being 83.0 years for women and 79.0 years for men from 2021 to 2023. Women spend on average around a quarter of their lives in ill health or disability, compared with around a fifth for men. In recent years, healthy life expectancy has remained stable for both women and men in England.
DHSC is dedicated to advancing women’s health through comprehensive policies and initiatives. These include commitments to improve access to quality healthcare, promote research on women’s health issues and address gender-specific health disparities.
Women’s health hubs
From October 2023 to September 2024, work continued to implement the £25 million women’s health hubs pilot programme. The 2024 to 2025 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to establish and develop at least one women’s health hub in every ICB, working in partnership with local authorities. NHS England asked ICBs to report regularly on their progress implementing the funding. As of September 2024, 36 out of 42 ICBs reported to NHS England that they had an open women’s health hub.
Network of women’s health champions
The network of women’s health champions met 6 times between October 2023 and September 2024. Meetings focused on supporting women’s health champions to deliver the women’s health hubs pilot programme, and wider work on implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Prescription Prepayment Certificate
In April 2023, DHSC reduced the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women through the HRT Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC), allowing women to pay under £20 for all their listed HRT prescriptions for the year. Between October 2023 and September 2024, 482,734 HRT PPCs were purchased.
NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service
The NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service was launched in April 2023. In December 2023, the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service expanded to enable pharmacists to also initiate oral contraception in addition to issuing ongoing supplies initiated in other healthcare settings.
Maternity
The department is committed to ensuring that maternity and neonatal care in the NHS remains at a high standard for all by striving to ensure that care is safe, personalised and compassionate, as well as ensuring that care standards are exceptional and meet the needs of women, babies and families.
Certificate of Baby Loss
In February 2024, DHSC launched the baby loss certificate service. Between the official launch of the service on 22 February 2024 and 30 September 2024 there were 56,613 certificates issued. This service is a non-statutory, voluntary scheme to enable those who have experienced pregnancy loss to record and receive a certificate to provide recognition of a baby loss if they wish to do so. It is not a compulsory certificate, ensuring that it remains the choice of all parents to manage the difficult time of loss however they see fit. While initially the criteria was only open to parents who experienced a loss since 1 September 2018, in autumn 2024 DHSC removed this eligibility restriction, making the service available for all historic losses with no back date.
Saving Babies’ Lives care bundle - version 3
In May 2023, version 3 of the Saving Babies’ Lives care bundle was published by DHSC. Following publication trusts began to engage in a process to implement the bundle. The bundle provides evidence-based guidance for providers and commissioners of maternity care to reduce perinatal mortality, including through reducing stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death and preterm birth.
6 to 8 weeks GP postnatal check
In December 2023, guidance was published for GPs on the postnatal appointment that women should be offered 6 to 8 weeks after giving birth. This provides an important opportunity for GPs to listen to women in a discreet, supportive environment.
The guidance, which was written in collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), provides clear advice to address unwarranted variation for the delivery of safer, more equitable, more personalised care. This includes flexible appointment times tailored to women’s needs and asks family doctors to provide personalised postnatal care for women’s physical and mental health and to support them with family planning. This will include information and resources on assessing and addressing mental health needs and, importantly, sets out practical initiatives to improve access, experience and outcomes.
Disabilities
DHSC recognises that disabled people, autistic people and people with learning disabilities face significant health inequalities, and continues to progress work aimed towards tackling those disparities and improving health and care outcomes.
Reducing inpatient admissions for people with learning disabilities and autism
The Building the Right Support Action Plan and delivery board was established to help reduce the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health hospitals by supporting people to live well in their communities. In the 2023 to 2024 financial year, NHS England invested £124 million of transformation funding for learning disability and autism services in local ICB areas. This funding includes money for local systems to reduce reliance on mental health inpatient settings.
In July 2024, work on the Mental Health Act reforms was continuing, with an emphasis on ensuring people receive the support they need in the community, improving care and reducing the need for hospital admissions.
Statutory training on learning disability and autism
From 1 July 2022, the Health and Care Act has required Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered providers to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. Under the legislation, the Secretary of State is required to issue a code of practice to guide providers on how to meet this legal requirement. The government will set out next steps on the code of practice in due course. To support this, the department has been rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Over 1.7 million people have completed the e-learning package, which is the first part of this training.
Down Syndrome Act
The Down Syndrome Act 2022 (Commencement) Regulations 2024 came into force on 18 March 2024. This brought into force the duty for the Secretary of State to consult on and publish the statutory guidance required under the act, which will set out what relevant authorities in health, social care, education and housing services should be doing to support the needs of people with Down syndrome.
Thalidomide Health Grant
The 4-year Thalidomide Health Grant, which was agreed in June 2023 and is administrated by The Thalidomide Trust, is made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs of people affected by thalidomide, especially as they get older. In May 2024, the second payment under this grant was delivered to support people affected by thalidomide.
The funding aims to help individuals personalise the way their health and care needs are met, maintain independence and minimise any further deterioration in their health. In September 2023, the department also commissioned an evaluation through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to better understand how to support people affected by thalidomide.
Sexual and reproductive health
DHSC is committed to supporting sexual health by:
- providing comprehensive education
- increasing access to reproductive health services
- promoting safe sex practices
These actions aim to reduce sexually transmitted infections (STIs), improve overall wellbeing and ensure informed choices for all individuals.
Birth control
On 19 September 2024, the department announced that Nexplanon (the UK’s only contraceptive implant) was to be included in the Statement of Financial Entitlements, providing funding to make it available by NHS prescription from 1 October 2024. This means that, since 1 January 2025, GPs have been able to order, keep in stock and administer Nexplanon to their patients as needed. It is expected this change will reduce barriers for younger women accessing Nexplanon in particular, as they are more likely to use the contraceptive implant to prevent pregnancy.
Between October 2023 and September 2024, DHSC approved 31 independent sector abortion clinics, helping to ensure that women have timely access to safe, NHS-funded abortion services within the legal framework set by the Abortion Act 1967.
HIV Action Plan
DHSC continued implementing the HIV Action Plan (2022 to 2025) aimed at ending HIV transmission by 2030. This included delivering HIV Prevention England (HPE), a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work targeted at communities at high risk of transmission. HPE is funded by DHSC and delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust.
During National HIV Testing Week in February 2024, DHSC covered the costs of 20,000 self-testing and self-sampling kits. Self-testing was particularly popular with people from ethnic minorities and women. HPE also delivered the ‘It Starts with Me’ campaign in summer 2024, focusing on raising awareness of why and how to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. Over 10,000 condom packs were distributed as part of the initiative, targeting the programme’s primary population groups such as gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, heterosexuals of Black African ethnicity and other populations at a higher risk of contracting HIV.
Sexual orientation and gender reassignment
DHSC supports sexual orientation and gender reassignment by implementing inclusive policies, providing access to specialised healthcare and offering educational resources. These efforts aim to encourage a respectful and supportive environment.
Restrictions on sale and supply of puberty blockers for under 18s
The department, working with Northern Ireland ministers and officials, conducted work throughout 2024 to ensure the safety of children by introducing legislation to stop the unsafe sale and supply of puberty blockers to under 18s for the purposes of treating gender dysphoria. Five laws, one regulation, 3 temporary orders and one indefinite order were introduced. The department has sought to meet its public sector equality duties throughout.
For the indefinite order, a 7-week consultation with 120 organisations was carried out, with impact and equalities assessments completed. The order ensures consistent care for children and young people with gender dysphoria.
Urgent and emergency care (UEC) services
In January 2024, work began with the Health and Wellbeing Alliance and Age UK on a project to understand older people and their carers’ experiences of accessing UEC services. The work uses insights from older patients who have experiences of UEC to identify issues and effective solutions for improving experiences and outcomes across the UEC pathway. Findings will inform future policy work to improve UEC care for older people in England, working closely with teams across DHSC.
In February 2024, work began to understand what is needed to improve UEC services, including variation across the country and for specific patient cohorts. This included internal projects focused on health inequalities and paediatrics.
Adult social care
DHSC plays a vital role in supporting adult social care. It works to enhance the wellbeing and independence of adults through policies that promote accessible, integrated care, and supports caregivers with resources and training. Additionally, the department funds initiatives aimed at improving the infrastructure and delivery of social care services, addressing the diverse needs of the aging population and individuals with disabilities.
International Recruitment Regional Fund
The department made £15 million available over 2023 to 2024 for regional partnerships to help support international recruitment in the adult social care sector. Following increasing reports of unethical and exploitative employment practices, the government made a further £16 million available in 2024 to 2025 to prevent and respond to exploitation. This included supporting those affected by sponsor licence revocations into new jobs.
Accelerating Reform Fund
The Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) provided a total of £42.6 million over 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 to support innovation and scaling in adult social care and to identify and improve support for unpaid carers.
The ARF has supported over 120 innovative local projects, covering 149 local authorities and over 35 delivery partners, including the NHS, care providers and community groups working collaboratively in integrated care system (ICS) footprints. Many projects have scaled community-based care models, such as ‘shared lives’ - schemes that match people who need care with approved carers. Projects have also emphasised local approaches to support prevention, such as neighbourhood-based wellbeing checks for older adults to reduce hospital admissions, and community-led initiatives that promote early intervention for people at risk of social isolation.
National recruitment campaign
The 2023 to 2024 adult social care recruitment campaign ran from October 2023 to March 2024. Advertising appeared on TV, social media, radio and online, highlighting the amazing work that staff across the adult social care sector do, and motivating suitable candidates to apply.
Care workforce pathway
In January 2024 the government published the first part of the care workforce pathway, setting out 4 role categories of care workers. The pathway is expected to have positive impacts for the care workforce, who will likely benefit from greater opportunities for learning and development. This will upskill and professionalise workers and could lead to career progression and greater career stability. These positive outcomes should be experienced equally across the entire workforce.
Women and ethnic minorities are over-represented in the care workforce compared to the general population. As a result, any changes to the pathway are likely to have a greater impact on these groups, which highlights the importance of considering their specific needs and experiences in the design and implementation.
In addition, individuals with disabilities (physical, learning or mental health needs), women and older adults (65 and above) are more likely to need support from the social care system. As such, they may be more directly affected by any changes introduced through the pathway, underscoring the importance of ensuring that these changes improve outcomes and maintain high-quality care.
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
‘Challenge’ Funding Call
NIHR launched its first ‘Challenge’ funding call in March 2024, focused on finding new ways to tackle maternity disparities. This funding call will bring together a diverse consortium, funding research and capacity building. The aim is to increase the evidence base to address maternity inequalities, facilitating a multidisciplinary, whole-systems approach to address uncertainties across research, innovation and implementation.
Nine leading universities have successfully applied to become part of the consortium. Each of them is collaborating with several other organisations around the UK. These include local councils, NHS trusts, charities, industry and other health organisations.
The Race Equity and Diversity in Careers (REDiC) Incubator
An NIHR incubator is a short-term project that helps grow research in areas that lack enough researchers by supporting careers, attracting new talent and removing barriers. This NIHR-supported incubator aims to address barriers faced by racially minoritised people. It supports them to access and develop careers in health and care research.
The incubator’s work is driven by the themes of the NIHR Research Inclusion Strategy 2022 to 2027. This includes the ambition to increase the diversity of NIHR researchers, award holders and panel members. It supports racially minoritised researchers and undergraduate and postgraduate students irrespective of protected characteristics, discipline, specialism and background.
NIHR Disability Framework
Launched in March 2024, the NIHR Disability Framework forms an important part of NIHR’s Research Inclusion Strategy. It aims to make sure that processes, activities and systems are accessible and do not present a barrier to engagement in research and research activities. Through the disability framework, a series of actions for NIHR have been identified.
Equality in our workforce
This section lists DHSC’s equality objectives and sets out the department’s approach to using equality data and information to inform and develop policy and initiatives in relation to its workforce. The scope of this section:
- relates to DHSC as an employer and does not include any of its agencies
- covers the period 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024
- provides a snapshot of data as of 30 September 2024
- provides an overview, with data tables, of how equality information is used to inform employee policy and initiatives, rather than the details for every policy
This section focuses on progress and activities that took place during the reporting period. The department has separately published information on its gender pay gap.
Equality objectives 2023 to 2027
DHSC developed a high-level set of equality objectives for 2023 to 2027 to ensure that advancing equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination remained central to its work of ensuring equitable policymaking and improved health outcomes for people in England. The objectives are as follows:
Objective 1
Ambition
We will continue to attract, develop and retain the best talent from the communities we serve, drawing from a range of backgrounds, experiences and locations.
Intended impact
We have a talented, diverse and empowered workforce that better reflects the communities we serve, and which enables the department to make more informed decisions and problem-solve increasingly complex issues on our diverse communities.
Objective 2
Ambition
We will continue to create a sense of welcoming and belonging in our workforce.
Intended impact
Our people feel confident bringing their authentic selves, their backgrounds and experiences to work. This leads to improved levels of confidence, capability and retention.
Objective 3
Ambition
We will continue to develop the capability of our leaders to promote a diverse and inclusive culture through support, empowerment and accountability.
Intended impact
Our leaders are confident in both articulating the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce and are active role models. Their delivery in this area leads to increased staff engagement and the equitable sharing of development opportunities.
Objective 4
Ambition
We will continue to engage with stakeholders and the public, particularly those with protected characteristics and personal and/or lived experience, and draw upon the diverse experiences of our workforce, including through staff networks, in all our work.
Intended impact
We build communicative and open relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and the public and use the diverse experiences of our workforce to improve the way we design policies and deliver services to ensure they are equitable.
Objective 5
Ambition
We will continue to promote awareness and increase understanding of the PSED and health disparities in our workforce.
Intended impact
Our staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their role in meeting the PSED and considering health disparities when developing policy. This ensures equity is embedded in all our work.
Diversity and inclusion at DHSC
The department strives to embed evidence-based and outcome-focused approaches in all that it does to progress equality and inclusion. DHSC continued its departmental inclusion plan in 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. This inclusion plan has been built around its public sector equality duties and the objectives set out above. It covers a range of deliverables with clear evaluation measures, aligned with our departmental priorities, aimed at:
- attracting and developing diverse talent
- creating a sense of belonging in our workforce
- developing the capability of our leaders
- engaging with diverse groups and embedding diverse lived experiences in all our work (both corporate and external)
- increasing workforce awareness and understanding of the PSED and health disparities
The department closely monitors diversity data, which enables us to identify areas for improvement and measure progress in making DHSC a more inclusive workplace. The delivery of the departmental inclusion plan is led by the department’s human resources (HR) team with oversight from its executive committee.
We have progressed a number of actions this year to support our colleagues, including those outlined below.
Workplace adjustments
The department is committed to increasing trust, encouraging proactive support and empowering disabled colleagues. In 2023, the department refreshed its workplace adjustments policy and procedures, following feedback from disabled staff network members. These changes aimed to ensure that staff have a clear, simple route to requesting and implementing workplace adjustments, with a dedicated single point of contact to assist individual cases.
In early 2024, the department also renewed its Disability Confident Scheme Leader status, demonstrating its commitment and work to support disabled colleagues throughout the employee lifecycle.
Experience Exchange Mentoring Programme
In May 2024, DHSC delivered the second cohort of our Experience Exchange Mentoring Programme. This scheme is based on the principles of mutual mentoring and sees Senior Civil Service (SCS) mentees develop relationships and learn from delegated grade mentors to build their understanding of diverse lived experience, enabling better leadership and handling of diversity matters across the department. The 2024 cohort paired 62 SCS grade mentees with 62 delegated grade mentors. Overall, feedback was highly positive from both groups and plans for launching the 2025 to 2026 cohort are currently being considered.
National Inclusion Week
In September 2024, DHSC delivered a series of events for National Inclusion Week. This focused on a better understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues and encouraging a closer connection and accountability from senior leadership through their work as EDI champions and sharing knowledge across the health organisations.
Enhancing workforce understanding of PSED and health disparities
Equality objective 5 focuses on enhancing workforce awareness and understanding of PSED and health disparities. To achieve this the department ran sessions that aimed to educate staff and equip them with the core principles to integrate into their work. One session was conducted during the reporting period, attended by approximately 30 participants. The department’s intranet provides a comprehensive overview of PSED, including practical guidance on its application. Employees can easily access previous reports and information about the equality objectives through straightforward searches, further supporting their ongoing learning and adherence to these crucial standards.
Supporting a talented and diverse workforce
During 2023 to 2024, the department continued to commit to creating a diverse workforce and to support talent through the delivery of several schemes which were actively encouraged and supported. These included:
- Beyond Boundaries, a 12-month talent programme offered to DHSC staff, from administrative officer (AO) to senior executive officer (SEO) grades: designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service
- care leavers internship scheme: offers care-experienced people aged 18 to 30 an 18-month placement in an executive officer (EO) role, contributing to our departmental commitment to social mobility. Internships are for a fixed term of 18 months, after which a permanent position can be considered
- Future Leadership Scheme (FLS) and Senior Leadership Scheme (SLS): Cabinet Office runs cross-government 12-month accelerated development schemes for substantive grades 6 and 7 (FLS) and deputy directors and SCS1 (SLS), who aspire and have the potential to progress to the Civil Service’s most senior and critical leadership roles. Successful candidates are further supported with the opportunity to apply to the additional Minority Ethnic Talent Association programme (META) or Disability Empowers Talent Association (DELTA) programme
- Catapult: Cabinet Office runs a scheme matching mentees from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (administrative assistant (AA) grade to SEO) with a senior leader mentor (grade 7 and above) who offers support and guidance
Bullying, harassment and discrimination
In addition to the deliverables outlined in the inclusion plan, the department continues to focus on ways to reduce and manage levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination (BHD) across the department. This includes:
- regular engagement with diversity staff network chairs on diverse groups’ lived experience of BHD within the department, and using this insight to feed into relevant workstreams
- delivering a bespoke DHSC People Policies Programme aimed at upskilling line managers in understanding and working with staff to implement DHSC people policies in a fair, consistent and effective manner, delivering training on supporting the formal processes on disciplinary and dispute resolution
- collaborating with Cabinet Office colleagues to launch a BHD organisational readiness tool pilot within targeted business areas. This in-depth tool assesses organisational readiness for effective BHD prevention mitigations. Bespoke results produced for pilot directorates to develop action plans and implement recommendations
- continued work to improve departmental use of the Cabinet Office mediation service, as a preventative method to tackling BHD. This included clearer communications on accessing the service
- our leadership development programme to SCS (director general (DG) one-to-one coaching, director group coaching and deputy director (DD) peer networks) provides space for leaders to discuss their leadership challenges and build their capability as leaders, including their ability to lead fairly and inclusively
Workforce summary
Representation data
The data presented in this report shows information relating to civil servants in DHSC by protected characteristic on a headcount basis. Total headcounts were:
- 30 September 2022: 4,020
- 30 September 2023: 3,320
- 30 September 2024: 3,550
For compliance with data protection laws, these values have been rounded to the nearest 10.
About the data
Information is presented on age, caring responsibility, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and social mobility. The representation rate refers to those who have declared a specific diversity group as a percentage of all those who have declared a diversity characteristic.
Age and sex data is collected and recorded during the onboarding process by the HR team, while the other information is self-declared. We continue to encourage individuals to voluntarily share their personal diversity information and promote the benefits of gathering this through communications and new starter induction. However, not every member of staff is willing to share their details, and the tables below only include colleagues who have done so.
The following principles have been applied when analysing and presenting this data:
- percentages have been rounded to the nearest one percentage point
- for compliance with data protection laws, where the declaration rate is below 50% the figure has been suppressed, indicated by [c] and, where the absolute number of people in a category is between 1 to 5, this has been suppressed, indicated by [x]
- grades have been grouped as follows:
- senior civil servants (SCS) includes permanent secretary, director general, director, and deputy director
- grade 6 (G6) and grade 7 (G7) have been grouped
- higher executive officer (HEO) and senior executive officer (SEO) have been grouped
- executive officer (EO)
- administrative officer (AO)
- other - this includes senior medical leaders and staff whose grade was not captured at the time of reporting
Age
Individuals aged 30 to 39 make up the highest proportion of the department’s workforce (30.5%). This is an increase of 2.8 percentage points since 2022. The largest decrease in proportion of the department’s workforce by age group was 18 to 29, which decreased by 2.4 percentage points over the same time period. Those 60 or over increased by 0.4 percentage points since 2022 to 4.9%.
Table 1: proportion by age grouping and from 2022 to 2024
| Age group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 29 | 28.7% | 23.4% | 26.3% |
| 30 to 39 | 27.7% | 28.6% | 30.5% |
| 40 to 49 | 20.7% | 21.9% | 20.7% |
| 50 to 59 | 18.4% | 20.3% | 17.6% |
| 60 and over | 4.5% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
Caring responsibility
From 2024, the definition for caring responsibility changed to anyone who looks after, or gives any help or support to, anyone because they have long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses, or problems related to old age. SCS was the only grade group that had a declaration rate over 50%. The proportion of SCS who made a declaration and reported as having caring responsibility was 27.0% in 2024.
Table 2: proportion of those with a caring responsibility by responsibility level in 2024
| Grade | 2024 |
|---|---|
| SCS | 27.0% |
| G6 and G7 | c |
| HEO and SEO | c |
| EO | c |
| AO | c |
| Other | c |
| DHSC average | c |
Disability
2024 is the first point at which declaration rates for the disability category reached the reporting threshold. Of the total people in each grade group with a known disability status, HEO and SEO had the highest proportion who declared as having a disability or long-term health condition, at 22.0%. SCS has the lowest proportion, at 8.8%.
Table 3: proportion of those with a declared disability by responsibility level from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | c | c | 8.8% |
| G6 and G7 | c | c | 19.0% |
| HEO and SEO | c | c | 22.0% |
| EO | c | c | 20.6% |
| AO | c | c | x |
| Other | c | c | x |
| DHSC average | c | c | 19.7% |
Ethnicity
The proportion of staff who declared as being an ethnic minority has remained stable since 2022. The proportion of SCS who declared as being an ethnic minority has increased by 0.7 percentage points since 2022 to 10.3%, with increases also seen in the ‘HEO and SEO’ group up 1.9 percentage points, and EOs, up 2.2 percentage points.
Table 4: proportion of staff who declared as being an ethnic minority (excluding White minorities) by responsibility level from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 9.6% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| G6 and G7 | 16.4% | 14.6% | 15.2% |
| HEO and SEO | 25.5% | 25.4% | 27.4% |
| EO | 34.6% | 35.9% | 36.8% |
| AO | 37.0% | 42.1% | 36.8% |
| Other | 0.0% | 25.9% | 34.8% |
| DHSC average | 21.3% | 19.8% | 21.4% |
Gender identity
The overall declaration rate for gender identity has increased by 12 percentage points since 2022 to 63%. Of those, the number who identify as a different gender than assigned at birth has remained low, at 0.5%. Of the total people in each grade group with a known identity, HEO and SEO had the highest proportion who declared as identifying as a different gender than assigned at birth at 0.9% in 2024, up from 0.4% in 2022.
Table 5: proportion of those who identify as a different gender than assigned at birth by responsibility level from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| G6 and G7 | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| HEO and SEO | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| EO | c | c | x |
| AO | c | c | x |
| Other | c | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| DHSC average | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
Religion or belief
Of those who have declared a characteristic, AOs have the highest proportion who have declared to have a religion or belief, at 60.0%. EOs are the only grade group to have an increase in proportion of those who declare a religion, up 4.5 percentage points since 2022. G6 and G7 had the lowest proportion of those who had a declared a religion or belief at 38.8%, down 1.2 percentage points from 2022.
Table 6: proportion of those with a known religion or belief who declare to have a religion or belief by responsibility level from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 45.1% | 43.9% | 44.0% |
| G6 and G7 | 40.5% | 40.3% | 38.8% |
| HEO and SEO | 46.6% | 47.3% | 45.9% |
| EO | 53.2% | 59.9% | 57.7% |
| AO | 64.0% | c | 60.0% |
| Other | x | 66.7% | 61.1% |
| DHSC average | 44.7% | 44.9% | 43.6% |
Sex
Since 2022, the proportion of females in the department has remained stable at just below 65%. Since 2022 we have seen the proportion of female SCS increase 0.4 percentage points to 56.1%, the proportion of female AOs increase by 2.6% to 63.0%, and the proportion of female EOs fall by 5.7 percentage points to 66.1%.
Table 7: proportion of females by responsibility level from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 55.7% | 56.4% | 56.1% |
| G6 and G7 | 63.1% | 63.3% | 63.4% |
| HEO and SEO | 66.3% | 65.2% | 67.5% |
| EO | 71.8% | 70.5% | 66.1% |
| AO | 60.4% | 64.9% | 63.0% |
| Other | x | 69.4% | 64.3% |
| DHSC average | 64.7% | 64.1% | 64.7% |
Sexual orientation
Since 2022, of those whose sexual orientation is known, the proportion who declared as ‘gay or lesbian’, ‘bisexual’, ‘asexual’ or ‘other sexual orientation’, grouped as LGBO, has remained stable, reporting at 10.7% in 2024. The proportion in G6 and G7 and HEO and SEO groups has decreased since 2022, with the largest decrease being HEO and SEO, falling by 0.9 percentage points to 11.9%.
Table 8: proportion of those whose sexual orientation is known who identify as LGBO by responsibility level, from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 9.3% | 12.2% | 10.7% |
| G6 and G7 | 9.3% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| HEO and SEO | 12.8% | 12.1% | 11.9% |
| EO | 12.4% | 11.1% | 13.0% |
| AO | x | x | x |
| Other | x | x | x |
| DHSC average | 11.0% | 10.4% | 10.7% |
Social mobility
The primary measure for social mobility is taken as those who declare to come from a low socioeconomic background. The department continuously monitors workforce data relating to socioeconomic background to highlight areas which require targeted support. Overall declaration rates for socioeconomic background have decreased from 2022 to 48% in 2024, 2 percentage points below the threshold for reporting. The only grade group to have a declaration rate of over 50% in 2024 is SCS. Since 2022, of the SCS where their socioeconomic background is known, the proportion who reported as being from a lower socioeconomic background increased 1.7 percentage points to 27.0%.
Table 9: proportion of those who declare as coming from a low socioeconomic background by responsibility level from 2022 to 2024
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 25.3% | 23.1% | 27.0% |
| G6 and G7 | 29.9% | 30.1% | c |
| HEO and SEO | 32.1% | 33.2% | c |
| EO | c | c | c |
| AO | c | c | c |
| Other | c | c | c |
| DHSC average | 31.5% | 31.5% | c |