Modern slavery

With a workforce of around 3000, DHU Healthcare has a range of service provisions in the East and West Midlands.  We work in collaboration with partners and colleagues across NHS systems, GP federations and other private provider companies, offering innovative, integrated healthcare solutions that ensure all our patients and communities can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

As part of the NHS frontline, we lead urgent care within emergency departments, urgent treatment centres, GP and primary care surgeries and out in our communities – offering a full range of both ‘in and out of hours’ clinical specialist services, provided by a diverse workforce made up of medical, nursing, allied health and support teams.

Our business offer, with contracts currently in the region of £100 million includes community nursing, urgent treatment, primary care streaming, urgent on-day primary care, GP home visiting, phlebotomy, community hospital medical cover, telephone consultation support, weekend palliative care home visiting and NHS111. 

Find out more about DHU Healthcare here.

All members of staff have a personal responsibility for the successful prevention of slavery and human trafficking. 

Our ‘Modern Slavery: Human Trafficking’ factsheet provides information to all DHU staff - highlighting modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour, applicable legislation and the key signs for staff to look out for when any stakeholders, including patients, colleagues, partners, suppliers or contractors may potentially be a victim of modern slavery. Staff are expected to report concerns about slavery and human trafficking and management are expected to act upon them in accordance with our policies and procedures.

We have zero tolerance for slavery and human trafficking.  We are guided by a strict set of ethical values in all our business dealings and expect our suppliers (the companies we do business with) to adhere to these same principles.  DHU Healthcare’s internal policies and procedures support the mitigation of risk relating to the potential for modern slavery or human trafficking.  

The principal risks related to slavery and human trafficking are reputational, lack of assurance from suppliers and contractors and ensuring staff are trained to understand modern day slavery and human trafficking (and what to do when it’s suspected).

We protect DHU Healthcare against the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our own business and our supply chain through these mitigations:

• Recruitment & Selection Procedure: Includes conducting checks for eligibility to work in the UK for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking (anti-slavery) or individuals being forced to work against their will.
• Freedom to Speak Up Procedure: Ensures all employees know they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or concerns around practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
• Agencies Checks: on approved frameworks are audited to provide assurance that pre‐employment clearance has been obtained for agency staff
• Equality and Diversity: outlines our commitment to provide an inclusive environment which promotes equality, encourages and values diversity, eliminates discrimination (including bullying, harassment and victimisation) and respects the rights and dignity of all employees and patients.
• Terms and Conditions: We adopt controls that protect staff from poor treatment and/or exploitation, to comply with all respective laws and regulations. These include provision of fair pay rates, fair Terms of Conditions of Employment and access to training and development opportunities.
• Procurement policy:  Purchase most of our products from UK or EU based firms, who may also be required to comply with the requirements of the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015) or similar legislation in other EU states. 

We require all suppliers to comply with the provisions of the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015), through our purchase orders and tender specifications. As part of all formal tender processes DHU Healthcare will request a statement of compliance with regards to Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

Where possible and consistent with the Public Contracts Regulations, we build long‐standing relationships with suppliers with a shared commitment to best value and integrity – including a commitment to reducing the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking within their own business.

• Anti-Fraud, Bribery & Corruption Procedure:  Ensures that business is conducted in an open, honest, and ethical manner, details the Company’s commitment to the proper use of public funds and outlines roles and responsibilities for the prevention of fraud, bribery, and corruption.

We will make an annual statement of compliance against these mitigations within our Annual Report and Accounts.

Advice and training is available to staff through our Safeguarding Children and Adults training, our Safeguarding policies and procedures and our Safeguarding leads. We expect all DHU Healthcare colleagues to complete our essential learning module on Modern Slavery. 

DHU monitor reports received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies to indicate that modern slavery practices have been identified. To date none have been received.