Appendix I

Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated October 2025)

Charging for Technology Enabled Care Services

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) form is a document that proves paying due regard by considering protected characteristics. EIAs that accompany reports presented to Councillors for decision-making are published with the committee papers on our website and are also available in hard copy at the relevant meetings.

Section 1: Initial Equality Impact Assessment Screening

This section documents the equality screening process of actual or potential impacts of the proposed activity on a specific protected characteristic, along with NYC's additional agreed-upon characteristics, to determine whether a full Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is necessary or appropriate.

Basic Details

Directorate

Health and Adult Services

Service area

Service Development

Proposal being screened

Charging for Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Services

Officer(s) carrying out screening

Mike Rudd – Head of Supported Housing

Lead Officer and contact details

Michael.rudd@northyorks.gov.uk

Date of the assessment

16/12/2025

Please describe briefly what this EIA is about.

(e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, or stopping doing something?)

HAS proposes to begin charging for TEC services during financial year 2026/27, TEC services have always been chargeable in principle but issues around practice and data recording have limited our ability to do so. These are in the process o being resolved so that accurate charging can begin.

What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (E.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)

The proposal will generate income in the region of £80,000- £100,000 annually

Further Details

1.1 How have stakeholders been involved in this policy/ decision/ proposal? (e.g. a consultation exercise)

The proposal has been agreed in principle by Adult Social Care Leadership Team (ASCLT) and will be subject to further development in early 2026 prior to going live.

No formal consultation with people using services is required, all users will be informed by letter in advance of any charges taking effect.

1.2 Will the proposal have a significant effect on how other organisations operate? (e.g. partners, funding criteria, etc.). Please explain briefly

N/A

1.3 Impact on people with any of the following protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010, or NYC’s additional agreed characteristics

As part of this assessment, please consider the following questions:

To what extent is this service used by particular groups of people with protected characteristics?

Does the proposal relate to functions that previous consultation has identified as important?

Do different groups have different needs or experiences in the area the proposal relates to?

If for any characteristic, it is considered that there is likely to be an adverse impact or you have ticked ‘Don’t know/no info available’, then a full EIA should be carried out where this is proportionate. You are advised to speak to your directorate representative for advice if you are in any doubt.

Tick and indicate which protected characteristics are identified as relevant to the proposal (positive, negative, neutral or don’t know).

Protected characteristic

Impact

Comments

Positive

Negative

Neutral

Don't know

Age

TEC is mainly used by older people and people with a disability with eligible care and support needs.

As such, the proposal will impact these groups, however this is a function of the cohort of people supported by HAS rather than any inherent feature of the proposal.

Charges will be limited (approx.. £3 per person per week) and subject to a financial assessment which will ensure people do not pay more than they are able to afford under the charging regime.

Disability

Sex

Race (including GRTS)

Gender reassignment

Sexual orientation

Religion or belief

Pregnancy or maternity

Marriage or civil partnership

NYC’s additional characteristics

People in rural areas

People on a low income

Carer (unpaid family or friend)

Are from the Armed Forces Community (including veterans)

1.4 To which Part(s) of the Public Sector Equality Duties is the Policy/decision/proposal relevant? Tick and briefly describe.

General Duties	Yes	No	Details
Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
Advance equality of opportunity
Foster good relations between different groups

1.5 Decision (Please tick one option)

Decision to recommend this policy/ decision for an Equality Impact Assessment?

Yes

If the answer is “Yes”, or you indicate a negative impact on any of the characteristics mentioned in the table above, please continue to Section 2 and complete the full Equality Impact Assessment.

If the answer is “No”, please give a brief reason here.

Signed (Assistant Director or equivalent)

Date

Section 2: Equality Impact Assessment

This section aims to provide a full assessment of the actual or potential impacts on specific protected characteristics, along with NYC's additional characteristics. It will also identify the proper actions to mitigate these impacts, if needed.

2.1 Evidence, Consultation and Data: What data or evidence source(s) has/ have been used to inform this assessment? Select the relevant source (s): Demographic data Service usage data
2.2 Stakeholder Engagement: What engagement has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? Stakeholder engagement has not been completed as it is not necessary for this proposal. NYC is able to charge for TEC services (but not equipment) under the Care Act, people are advised that TEC is a chargeable service at the point the service is set up. Charging for TEC services is standard practice in most Local Authority areas. Internal practice and data issues have meant that accurate charging has not been possible, however with a change of provider in Autumn 2025 and dedicated data quality work we are approaching a point where it will be possible accurately charge for TEC services under a financial assessment.
2.3 What positive impact will this proposal have on the council budget, people, community, economic growth and environment, etc? Please explain briefly It is estimated that NYC will generate net revenue of between £80,000-£100,000 annually under this proposal.
2.4 Please briefly describe how will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics? Only those who are identified as relevant to the proposal in section 1.
protected characteristics	Negative	Don’t know	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information, etc.
Age	X		TEC is mainly used by older people and people with a disability with eligible care and support needs. As such, the proposal will impact these groups, however this is a function of the cohort of people supported by HAS rather than any inherent feature of the proposal. Charges will be limited (approx.. £3 per person per week) and subject to a financial assessment which will ensure people do not pay more than they are able to afford under the charging regime.
Disability	X
Sex
Race (including GRTS)
Gender reassignment
Sexual orientation
Religion or belief
Pregnancy or maternity
Marriage or civil partnership
NYC’s additional characteristics
People in rural areas
People on a low income
Carer (unpaid family or friend)
Are from the Armed Forces Community (including veterans)

2.5 Geographic impact: Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)

North Yorkshire wide

Craven

Hambleton

Harrogate

Richmondshire

Ryedale

Scarborough

Selby

If you have ticked one or more areas, will specific town(s)/ village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.

2.6 Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, citing evidence from Q2.1 & Q2.2, e.g. engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information, etc.

N/A

2.7 Mitigation and Actions: List the actions that will be taken to reduce or eliminate any negative impact identified above and how positive impacts will be enhanced. Briefly describe the action you defined.

Actions	Lead	By when
Each person will be eligible for a financial assessment to ensure they do not pay more than they are able to afford	Benefits and Assessments Team	Ongoing

2.8 Monitoring and Review: If the proposal is to be implemented, how will the impact be monitored? Briefly describe the monitoring arrangements/systems that will be put in place to find out how the expected outcomes have been achieved in practice.

Income levels will be monitored on an ongoing basis through standard budget management processes.

2.9 Conclusion: Please summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendations in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.

Charging for TEC services will have a negative financial impact on some people by increasing the costs they pay for social care. However it may also be the case that by promoting the use of TEC, costlier options within care packages may be reduced.

Anyone receiving TEC will be eligible for a financial assessment to ensure they are not asked to pay more than they are able to.

Income levels and any complaints generated by tehc harge will be monitored by the BACs Team and TEC commissioners.

2.10 Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Mike Rudd

Job title: Head of Supported Housing

Directorate: Health and Adult Services

Signature: M.Rudd

Completion date: 16/12/2025

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature):

Date:

Once this has been signed off, please send it to webteam@northyorks.gov.uk for publication on the appropriate webpage.

Publication:

To help people find completed EIAs, we publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of the NY Council website.

Contact details

If you need further support and guidance about carrying out EIA, please contact your directorate equality representative as listed in Stage 4 on our Intranet: Paying due regard to equality using equality impact assessments

Or contact North Yorkshire Council’s equality team on email Equality@northyorks.gov.uk