Modern Slavery Act Statement
The Walton Centre’s Response to the Requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
The Modern Slavery Act was brought about in 2015 to give law enforcement the tools to fight modern slavery, ensure perpetrators can receive suitably severe punishments for these appalling crimes and enhance support and protection for victims. Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking.
Slavery is not an issue confined to history or an issue that only exists in certain countries – it is something that is still happening today. It is a global problem and the UK is no exception. Modern slavery is a real issue. It is also a serious concern for public services.
All staff at The Walton Centre, be they in clinical or non-clinical roles, have a responsibility to consider issues regarding modern slavery, and incorporate their understanding of these issues into their day to day practice. Training in relation to modern slavery is delivered to staff through our safeguarding training and information relating to this is held within our Safeguarding Adult and Children Policies.
Front line NHS staff are well placed to be able to identify and report any concerns they may have about individual patients who present for treatment and as a Trust we are committed to working in partnership with local authorities to identify cases of modern day slavery and to intervene to protect vulnerable adults and children when they are identified.
The Walton Centre is committed to ensuring that no modern slavery or human trafficking takes place in any part of our business or our supply chain as outlined below.
If staff have concerns about the supply chain or any other suspicions related to modern slavery they are encouraged to raise these concerns through line management, via our Safeguarding Matron and report the issues to appropriate agencies.
Procurement arrangements
Contracts established by The Walton Centre use the NHS Terms and Conditions for Supply of Goods or framework terms and conditions, which contains anti-slavery clauses that require providers/contractors to comply with law and guidance, use industry good practice and to notify the authorities if they become aware of any actual or suspected incident of slavery or human trafficking.
The Trust’s purchase orders issued to suppliers also includes the following statement. “The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust expects that all suppliers (and their supply chains) are fully compliant with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015”.
In addition to the above The Walton Centre will investigate any concern raised with the service. This could be by national or local media publicity, through supply chain contacts or by individuals.
In February 2023 an updated Procurement Policy Note PPN02/23 Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains was issued.
The updated guidance set out:
- Inclusion of relevant contractual terms in new procurements – for example, wording already included in NHS Standard Terms and Conditions for goods and services (clause 19 “Modern slavery and environmental, social and labour laws”).
- Procurement team members should undertake the free Government Commercial College training on modern slavery. (This training is in progress across the team).
In parallel to the above PPN, NHS England is working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on new regulations that align to PPN 02/23, as required by the Health and Care Act 2022. Further support around this will be provided by NHS England to support teams to comply fully with both PPN 02/23 and the act in due course.
The Procurement team are currently reviewing their Procurement and Tendering Policy and will include information from the recently published guidance which can be found here.
Procurement are currently preparing for the implementation of the new Procurement Act in February 2025, with Procurement colleagues attending training to support understanding and learning. The team will work in line with the new act and any updated requirements in relation to modern slavery.
Employment arrangements
As an NHS Employer we are required to comply with the NHS employment check standard for all directly recruited staff. The six checks which make up the NHS Employment Check Standards are:
- Verification of identity checks
- Right to work checks
- Professional registration and qualification checks
- Employment history and reference checks
- Criminal record checks
- Occupational health checks
No individual is permitted to commence employment with the Trust without these checks having been completed. The checks are carried out centrally by the recruitment team and recorded on the Trust workforce information system (ESR). These measures ensure that the Trust does not unwittingly employ people subjected to modern slavery.