CDE Appendix 1 Literature Review - Central East Local Health ...

The Culture, Diversity and Equity Project: Literature Review
It is moreover advisable, in the interests of accountability and compliance, that health equity policy statements are
adjoined with concrete action plans and guidelines for implementation that clearly articulate the means (strategies
and plans) by which such policy goals and objectives are to be realised, as well as the expected strategic outcomes of
each action plan initiative. The more fully and transparently such corresponding action plans and desired outcomes
are elaborated and explained in relation to policy goals and objectives, the more able are stakeholders to monitor and
debate the feasibility and ‘fit’ of such plans as a means of achieving the espoused goals and objectives.
Strategic action plans, moreover, should go into detail about what will be done, by when and by whom, clearly
listing, in this latter respect, the responsibilities of each relevant stakeholder accountable and responsible for
ensuring policy implementation and compliance. The Plan should thus:
• Set dates on when you will do the things such as monitoring, reviewing procedures, training and guidance;
• Expand on how these will be done and by whom;
• Clarify what will be your measures of success and how you will evaluate these (including how and when you
will review the overall working of your policy) (ACAS, 2009).
Clearly articulating the objectives and corresponding action tasks to be performed, as well as the lead role holders
having carriage over such tasks, is essential to ensuring that the policy is accountably advanced. It is also important,
as mentioned above, that a process and timeline is agreed upon for regularly reviewing and updating the policy,
in light of incoming information on progress or lack thereof.
Policies should also be supplemented by explicit strategies for making the policy known to all stakeholders.
Dissemination of policy initiatives within and beyond the organisation in question is essential, not only because of
the public’s right to know, in the case of public health policy, but because bringing such policies into public light
makes it that much more difficult to get away with doing nothing in support/pursuit of it. It is useful, in this respect,
to develop policy guidelines to further elaborate and explain policy goals, objectives, strategic plans and desired
outcomes to concerned stakeholders in more detailed form
The process of policy development is as critical to its success in implementation as the content of the policy. The
policymaking process should not only involve knowledge experts, but also all affected and interested
stakeholders, including, importantly, members of the public, in particular members of vulnerable communities who
may be targeted by the policy.
Aside from the intrinsic value of such public/stakeholder involvement in a democratic society, such engagement
may increase public (and thus political) and staff ‘buy-in’, and help prevent resistance, backlash, and subversion at
implementation phases (see Sabik & Lie, 2008 for more on the importance but also challenges of stakeholder
involvement in policymaking processes).
Policy decisions and outcomes should be transparently communicated to stakeholders at all phases of the policy
development process. Such transparency in itself helps to increase accountability, since it is much easier to ‘drop the
policy ball’ when no one is aware of the policy or applying pressure for ‘results’ (Sabik & Lie, 2008).
Training initiatives in support of the policy are also critical to ensuring compliance, as such initiatives help to equip
those responsible for implementation with the appropriate skills and competencies required to do so effectively.
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