Policy News - 5 November 2020

The following policies have recently been ratified by the Trust’s Policy Committee.   Please take the time to review those which may be relevant to your role.  

Retirement Policy

The Retirement Policy sets out the key principles for ensuring staff who are retiring from their employment with the Trust, are aware of the options that may be available to them and that they are given appropriate help and support to prepare for retirement.  It applies to all Trust employees and aims to ensure a fair and consistent approach is taken when employees approach their retirement.

The policy details:

• Notice requirements;
• Age of access to NHS Pensions;
• Preparation for retirement;
• Types of retirement e.g. wind down, step down;
• Retire and return application process and the introduction of a Retire and Return Panel to review all retire and return applications;
• Retirement Awards.

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Attendance Management Policy

The Attendance Management Policy sets out the standard for ensuring a fair and consistent approach in respect of attendance management and provide a framework for managers to help them and the Trust to achieve a sustainable reduction in sickness absence. The policy takes a work-focussed approach to help minimise the impact of ill health on an employee’s attendance. It involves early intervention to enable any help and support to be identified and greater emphasis on the manager and employee working together to remove barriers to work.

The policy gives clear and consistent guidance on timescales for monitoring attendance, timescales for formal warnings issued in accordance with this policy and action to be taken if targets for attendance are not met.

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Personal Relationships at Work Policy

The Management of Personal Relationships at Work Policy sets out the arrangements the Trust has put in place to assist managers to manage personal relationships in the workplace in order to avoid any possible conflict of interest or

accusation of bias, favouritism or prejudice.  The policy aims to ensure that all employees feel confident of fair treatment without the fear that a personal relationship/friendship will influence their own or other employees’ treatment or broader working relationships and avoid the potential for individuals to claim unfair treatment in terms of employment practice.  The policy also aims to facilitate and encourage the development of an organisational culture where employees feel confident to voluntarily declare personal relationships.

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Counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy

The purpose of the policy is to:

• provide an explanation of fraud for staff and a guide to reporting concerns;
• inform those working for the Trust of their responsibility to prevent fraud, bribery and corruption;
• detail the roles and responsibilities of key staff and departments;
• provide a framework for responding to suspicions of fraud, bribery and corruption; and
• detail the potential outcomes where fraud, bribery and corruption are suspected.

The policy applies to all staff working for or on behalf of the Trust, including but not limited to employees (regardless of position held or employment status), consultancy staff, volunteers, contractors, those engaged via a third-party supplier, honorary contract holders and/or any other parties that have a business relationship with the Trust.

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