The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees, trainees or job seekers because of their age and ensure that all workers, regardless of age, have the same rights in terms of training and promotion. The laws cover everyone either in, or seeking, employment or vocational training – to protect employees of all ages.

What the currently regulations cover:

• Direct discrimination
• Indirect discrimination
• Harassment and victimisation.

Under these regulations boards must not discriminate on the grounds of age in employment or vocational training. This includes:

• deciding not to employ someone
• dismissing them
• refusing to provide them with training
• denying them promotion
• giving them adverse terms and conditions
• retiring an employee before the employer’s usual retirement age (if there is one) or retire an employee before the default retirement age of 65 without an objective justification

Addressing Age Discrimination

To address age discrimination, new legislation has been passed. The Equality Act 2010 will harmonise existing equality legislation and bring parity across equality areas. This has implications for the ways in which services, goods and facilities are designed and delivered where age is a factor.

For public bodies, the Act sets a public sector duty across a range of protected characteristics. To address age equality and discrimination the Act will:

Create a public sector duty (which will include age) to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination;
• advance equality of opportunity, and
• foster good relations between people who share protected characteristic and people who do not share it, and:
• ban age discrimination against those over 18 in the provision of services and exercise of public functions.

The public sector duty applies to people of all ages, including children, while the ban on age discrimination applies in relation to over 18’s.

The public sector duty will be effective from April 2011. The ban on age discrimination was effective as from 1st October 2012.

Young Carers

NHS Forth Valley along with active involvement of Young Carers and Falkirk Young Carers Befriending Team have developed a resource to enhance the awareness of staff on the valuable role that young carers play in patient care.

This film is a resource that can better support young carers and build positive relationships between health professionals and young carers when accessing services. I am exceptionally proud of what the young carers have achieved and hope it benefits many more across NHS Forth Valley’.