As an organisation, we are committed to ensuring the absence of slavery in our organisation and supply chain. In line with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act (MSA) 2015 we continue to take the following actions:
- Ongoing assessment of our contracts which have the highest risk of modern slavery
- Use of MSA compliant supplier Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), to support assurance that our suppliers comply with MSA
- Inclusion of MSA clause in our standard terms and conditions
Transparency in Supply Chains – Modern Slavery Act Statement
Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires organisations to set out the steps that the organisation has taken during the financial year to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place, within the organisation or its supply chains. University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL/the Trust) was established on 1st April 2000. Our organisation is formed of seven Clinical Management Groups (CMGs) supported by several Corporate Directorates. The CMGs and Corporate Directorates are overseen by our Trust Leadership Team and Trust Board. We are one of the biggest and busiest NHS Trusts in the country, serving the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Our nationally and internationally renowned specialist cardio-respiratory. ECMO, cancer and renal services reach a further two to three million patients from the rest of the country. Our Children's Hospital, split across the Leicester General, Glenfield and Leicester Royal Infirmary, helps us meet the needs of our youngest patients for emergency and sometimes life-long care needs. We're proud to be a teaching hospital and we work closely with partners at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University to nurture and develop the next generation of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, many of whom go on to spend their working lives with us.
Our strategy 2023-2030: Leading in healthcare, trusted in communities, has four goal areas underpinned by our values: compassionate, proud, inclusive and one team.
We make every effort to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our Trust, and in our supply chains, by ensuring our employment standards, training, remuneration and policies reflect our commitment to be a high-quality employer conscious of safeguarding.
Slavery and human trafficking is highlighted as a category of abuse that we should all be aware of. Our Safeguarding Adults and Children Policies are designed to minimise the risk of slavery and human trafficking, and our mandatory Safeguarding training for staff also covers this aspect. In addition to the training and policy, we are committed to employment practices that are fair and equal, both internally and through our suppliers of services and equipment. We fulfil the Standards for recruitment of staff set by NHS Employers and in line with the Care Quality Commission’s Standards. This includes (but is not limited to) pre-employment checks for new candidates:
- Verification of Identification
- Right to Work
- Employment History
- Work Health Assessment
- Disclosure of Criminal Background (DBS) Check (where applicable)
- Professional Registration & Qualification Checks (where applicable)
- Health Professionals Alert Notice (HPAN) Check (where applicable)
- Fit and Proper Person Check (where applicable)
This also includes any Agency or Bank staff we utilise within UHL.
We are strongly committed to ensuring our supply chains are free from ethical and labour standards abuses. All new contracts awarded are done so under the standard NHS Terms and Conditions of Contract for the supply of goods and services which include clauses mandating our suppliers to adhere to all relevant policies and legislation relating to anti slavery, and that they notify the Trust immediately of any actual or suspected incidents in their Supply Chain. Our suppliers must use good industry practice to ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in their supply chains. NHS England have launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment which the
Trust will utilise as part of procurement processes. This includes the requirement for suppliers to publish an ethical sourcing policy, supply chain risk assessment and conduct Modern Slavery audits in hotspot areas of their supply chain. All procurement staff have also undertaken the Modern Slavery and Labour Standard Assessments, produced by NHS England, where thorough risk assessments indicate if a category or country is high risk. The UHL procurement and supplies team have received all relevant training in relation to Modern Slavery, including the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Ethics E-Learning, and qualified MCIPS (Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply) staff are required to undertake the CIPS Ethical Procurement and Supply Training on an annual basis.
We have also adopted central government’s Social Value Model (Procurement Policy Note 06/20), which requires a minimum 10% weighting in all procurements dedicated to Net Zero and Social Value Themes. The Social Value Themes cover the five topics, Fighting Climate Change, Wellbeing, Equal Opportunity (which covers compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015), Tackling Economic Inequality and Covid-19 Recovery.
In addition to our Safeguarding Adults and Children Policies, other supporting UHL policies and procedures include:
- Preventing Illegal Working (Visa Requirements) Policy
- Disclosure & Barring Service policy
- Counter-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy
- Guidance Supporting Staff Subject to Domestic Violence
- Recruitment and Selection Policy
- Recruitment and Selection Policy for Medical Consultants
- Core Training Policy
- Freedom to Speak Up - Raising Concerns Policy
- Equality Diversion and Inclusion Policy
