Disability discrimination

The Equality Act 2010 is the law that protects you from discrimination and gives you the right to challenge it.

See our pages on disability discrimination for more information.

'Protected characteristics' is the name for the nine personal characteristics that are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act.

They are:

• age
• disability (this can include mental health problems)
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation.

See our pages on disability discrimination for more information.

These are organisations whose role is of a public nature. This includes:

• police
• NHS  hospitals and employees
• local authorities and their employees
• some nursing and personal care accommodation providers
• prison staff
• courts and tribunals, including Mental Health Tribunals
• government departments and their employees
• statutory bodies and their employees (for example the Information Commissioner’s Office).

This is the legal duty which public authorities like councils, NHS hospitals and government departments have to follow. It means they have to consider how their policies and practices affect people with protected characteristics, like people with mental health problems.

Private or voluntary organisations also have to follow the public sector equality duty when they carry out a public function on behalf of public authorities. For example, a private firm that is employed by a local council to collect council tax arrears needs to follow the public sector equality duty.