File under: “you couldn’t make it up”.
NHS bureaucrats have crawled deep into their own backsides in what looks like an attempt to appease the Conservatives. The NHS Equality and Diversity Council is out – the NHS Personal, Fair and Diverse Council is in.
The important thing to take away from this is, of course, that “equality” is an outdated concept: inappropriate for our streamlined modern age. With “equality” comes the idea that we might want to put some effort into ensuring that everyone has an equal chance of gaining that job, receiving respect in the workplace and feeding themselves and/or their family. This kind of woolly thinking fails to recognise the hard-earned nature of personal gain.
“Equality” should therefore be regarded as socialistic nonsense that has no place within the choice agenda. Instead, we need to celebrate the negative freedoms that allow hard-working white men to rise to the top whilst paying lip-service to the beautiful diversity of those at the bottom.
That’s why we should focus on fairness. It isn’t “fair” that the rich should be taxed more than the poor. It isn’t “fair” that money should be spent on subsidising health care for lazy and poor people. It isn’t “fair” that there’s a black history month but not a white history month.
If in doubt, just ask Nick Clegg, a man who has handed out “fairness” in spades to the disabled, to the poor and to students over the past couple of years.
And remember – if it’s not immediately obvious what a given body is for, then why should you bother to critique its work?
Personal, Fair and Diverse Council to launch as part of the NHS Commissioning Board
5 November, 2012The NHS Equality and Diversity Council (EDC), chaired by Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB), has announced that it is to change its name to the Personal, Fair and Diverse (PFD) Council.
The name change has been agreed in response to the Council’s new responsibilities for health inequalities and human rights as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and supports its wider role to act on behalf of the whole health and social care system.
The choice of name mirrors the vision at the heart of the work carried out by the EDC, including its successful Personal, Fair and Diverse Champions campaign, which is run on behalf of the Council by NHS Employers. The name also promotes the values of the NHS Constitution and the creation of fairer, more inclusive workplaces and health and care services for everyone.
Dr Ruth Pearce 
Without “equality”, how can it be “fair”?
equality is a misunderstood word that holds alot of baggage from a practical point of view and personal fair and diverse has a more direct application in the work place and within services its the language I have been using as a diversity consultant for last 18 months!
That’s because you’re a Tory. Your party isn’t big on equality.
So why are you an equality and diversity consultant with the NHS Tara? Y’know if equality is such a bad concept? Equality is nothing more or less than giving everyone the support and opportunities they need to make the most of their talents and skills and you know it.
The idea of personal fair and diverse takes the onus off of the NHS to provide that support and those opportunities and places it squarely on the least advantaged so that if they fail to achieve it’s their fault.
On the other hand I wouldn’t expect someone as blatantly self-serving as you have proven yourself to be time and time again to realise that.