HCPC collecting diversity data and have 'forgotten' to ask about sex.

[CircleofWillis]

I have just taken part in a major survey on diversity by the HCPC. It asked me in detail about my age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and trans status but didn't ask a single question about my sex. How is that reasonable or responsible? How on earth can they publish the findings and consider it to be comprehensive? The confounding variable of gender tells them nothing at all about the distribution of women vs men but they will be able to tell you all about trans women vs trans men and non binary people. This is shocking and utterly ridiculous!

I agree with you, totally unreasonable and irresponsible, and another step in the dismantling of real data.

Was there any way you could note your thoughts re that on the survey?

Health Care professional? Nah - they don't need to know about sex, biology, science or facts. Gender woowoo and lots of finger crossing when dealing with maternity, gynae & prostrate cancers, etc. It will all be fine as long as you say the "right" words and think the "right" thoughts.

@TalkingtoLangClegintheDark

I agree with you, totally unreasonable and irresponsible, and another step in the dismantling of real data.

Was there any way you could note your thoughts re that on the survey?

Yes there was the opportunity to comment at the end. I wrote a long diatribe but had to erase most of it as it only allowed 150 characters.

Does anyone HR/legal minded know whether it is illegal to gather info on ALL the other protected characteristics except sex??

Could we do some kind of FOI challenge to see what the data will be used for ie if it’s to allocate services proportionately, they are not then able to do this with this data.

Can one make formal complaints that they are not able to demonstrate proportionate service? (or whatever - ideally linked to funding and whatever their legal service obligations are)

And then demand that the survey be conducted again, since they can’t assess our needs?? Surveys like this are expensive!!!

Can we hit them with the lawyers and the bean counters??!

I did it yesterday and was going to post my rant here too. At the end I nearly wrote "Don't use stonewall in future" in regards to suggestions for future, but I just wanted at DH who snuck away quietly.

There was one question that I managed to put that my sex was female in the 'other' field.

I ranted at DH. Stupid autocorrect.

@AfternoonToffee

I did it yesterday and was going to post my rant here too. At the end I nearly wrote "Don't use stonewall in future" in regards to suggestions for future, but I just wanted at DH who snuck away quietly.

There was one question that I managed to put that my sex was female in the 'other' field.

I put 'other' to that question as well and that gender is a social construct I do not subscribe to.

Is it possible they are actually asking (or attempting to ask) about sex but think the word 'sex' is another word for intercourse and prefer 'gender'?

Is this the HealthCare Professions Council?

If so, you would hope they were educated to know better. Then again...

@CranberriesChoccyAgain

Is it possible they are actually asking (or attempting to ask) about sex but think the word 'sex' is another word for intercourse and prefer 'gender'?

No they state on one page that they have have been advised by Stonewall so definitely not a mistake due to coyness.

Does anyone HR/legal minded know whether it is illegal to gather info on ALL the other protected characteristics except sex??

Interesting question choosandchips

In addition, I answered the questionnaire in response to an email saying 90% of people had not responded. I suspect that many of the 10% of people who had responded have a particular interest in diversity which may influence the results further.

Not the same survey but I filled out a different diversity one yesterday which asked for my gender and gave me a glittering array of options. In the free-text box I told them that my sex was female and that gender was nothing but a set of sexist stereotypes.

The next question asked me whether my gender identity matched my sex registered at birth (which at least wasn't 'assigned' at birth). The available options were 'yes', 'no' and 'prefer not to say'. I ticked 'prefer not to say' as I couldn't say that I didn't have a gender identity!

@PurpleWh1teGreen

Is this the HealthCare Professions Council?

If so, you would hope they were educated to know better. Then again...

Yes indeed. You would hope so.

Such bullshit.

Well done anyway for commenting, albeit in straitened form!

@CircleofWillis That's shocking really. You'd think in healthcare especially, knowing biological sex is much more practical and useful than gender identity.

you would hope they were educated to know better

Sadly it sounds like it’s exactly the “education” they’ve had that’s the problem.

But yeah. You would think health professionals would get this. And yet... RCN, BMA, RCM, GMC - all captured. People who really SHOULD know better.

Out of interest, does the survey relate to health professionals themselves, or to the patients they treat?

This is why Ann Sinnotts AEA company, latest fund raiser is so important. It's ages before she gets to court, so needs to do what the GEO & EHRC wouldn't which is to inform all those who were mis-informed.

I think we should take a class action against civil service for not doing their jobs properly - any chance????

@TalkingtoLangClegintheDark

Out of interest, does the survey relate to health professionals themselves, or to the patients they treat?

It relates to us as health care professionals ourselves.

talking it was in regards to the health professionals.

The majority of questions were written with input from SW, hence the quality of them.

These are the stated aims of the survey.

• We are asking registrants to complete the survey because it is vital that we have an accurate understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion across our professions. This is especially crucial during this time because of the different impacts the pandemic has had on groups of registrants.

With your input we will be able to gain a better understanding of the impact of our policies and processes on registrants and recognise some of the challenges faced by different groups.

Your input will also help us identify what measures we need to put in place to better support you.*

How can they make this statement and then completely ignore the possibility of sex based challenges?

How can they make this statement and then completely ignore the possibility of sex based challenges? It really is shocking and indefensible.

You might want to look at this thread... makes some sense of the nonsense:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4169150-Pseudo-realities-Power-and-Language-Games

I'm so glad that you've posted this OP - I've had the email from them and haven't been arsed to complete the survey, but now that you've flagged this up I'll get onto it tomorrow and add my two penn'orth. Bloody embarrassing to be registered as a medical professional by a professional body that can't recognise biological sex.

I have this email too but haven’t got round to it but think I may add my comments also. Thanks for pointing it out

Thanks for the reminder - I'll complete this, and make some comments too. I can't believe I pay to be represented by a professional body that don't recognise my sex.