Purpose

The code of conduct applies to all Directors and employees, interns and volunteers of Rees Healthcare Limited. The code of Conduct requires the highest standards of probity, accountability and integrity of all those engaged and working for and with Rees Healthcare.

The Code of Conduct is a set of values set out below, which are vital to Rees Healthcare. The values on which the Code is based are to assist maintain and improve our work with each other, our partners and customers. All those engaged with us must display behaviours that reflect these values while performing your duties.

Any breach of this Code will be regarded as an act of misconduct, that will automatically trigger disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. This code is in tune with existing statutory or common law obligations.

This Code of Conduct has been put in place to give a framework that ensures:

1. The importance of customer care.
2. Strict adherence to minimum standards.
3. Safe, effective, non-abusive practice, which promotes the privacy, dignity and respect of customers and protects their self-esteem.
4. To ensure and maintain professionalism, empowerment and therapeutic relationship with all Clients.
5. Effective relationships with all Staff and workers.
6. Dealing with Professional Issues.
7. Financial Probity.
8. Equality of opportunity and respect with regards to “protected characteristics” as defined in the Equality Act (2010), including but not limited to; age, disability, gender reassignment, identity or expression, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy etc.
9. Ethical Business activities.
10. Protecting children and vulnerable adults from any form of harm, abuse or exploitation; including physical, financial, psychological or sexual abuse, neglect, discrimination, self-harm, or inhuman or degrading treatment through deliberate intent, negligence or ignorance.

Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England

Rees Healthcare will fully comply with the Skills for Care and Skills for Health Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England. Care workers conduct be ensured to meet the standards set out in that Code, and that no action or omission by them harms the wellbeing of users of our service. All applicants will receive a copy of this document prior to commencing employment with Rees Healthcare. All employees will be issued a copy during commencement of work with us, to ensure that they fully understand the standards and compliance of professional conduct and practice.

Rees Healthcare Core Values

Health and Social care workers (not in any particular) must:

1. Must respect, ensure, promote and protect the rights and interests of clients, families and carers.
2. Ensure service users and others’ safety at all times.
3. Providing individualized care and promote clients’ independence.
4. Provide accountable and quality service at all times.
5. Maintaining Public trust and confidence in health and social care at all times.

These are underpinned by our Company Philosophy – that:

1. All life are valued.
2. Quality of life based maintenance of good health, safety and security.
3. Privacy, dignity, respect.
4. Care and support based on clients’ self-determination and choices.
5. Positive self-regard – acceptance and understanding.
6. Non-discriminative attitude, practice and support
7. Equality of opportunity.
8. Independence, self fulfilment and development.

These values are non-negotiable and all staff must comply with them at all times.

Customer care

Rees Healthcare service users, their carers, professionals from other agencies and our staff/workers and partner agencies.
We expect all our employees to be responsive, flexible, polite, welcoming, warm, trustworthy, reliable and efficient in their work.

Financial Probity and Respect for property

All Staff and workers’ dealings with Service Users’ finances and property will be transparent, accountable, honest and beyond suspicion, complying with Standard 13 of the CQC National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care. Employees must refer to the corporate policy Clients’ Finances for guide on handling and recording service users’ money and property, and related financial matters.

In particular staff must note the following guidance:

1. All Staff must refuse gifts and hospitality in any monetary form offered to them or members of their family by any person or body that has any dealings with Rees Healthcare. Where there is any doubt, the concerned employee should contact their supervisor or line manager for guidance.
2. Where a donation or gift may be of low value like a box of Chocolate such gifts shall only be accepted by the approval of the employee’s line Manager. Any charitable donation to Rees Healthcare can only be used for the benefit of service users whilst approved by the Manager. In the event of the acceptance of a donation, such must be recorded in the service user’s file and countersigned by the Service Manager and also entered into the Company Gift/Donation Register. All donations will be acknowledged in writing.
3. No financial transaction of any form is allowed between employees of Reescare and its’ clients. Any of our clients that may need financial support for food or similar needs must be reported timely to Management for appropriate intervention.
4. Under no circumstances must staff enter into any form of trading between service users and their family members.
5. Employees must never provide any of assistance whatsoever to service users regarding a will or its drafting.
6. Employees must not under any circumstances accept legacies or gifts from the wills of clients. Staff should not incur or accept any liability on behalf of customer and refrain from giving advice in relation to any legal arrangement or document.
7. Employees must under no circumstances buy goods and service for customer using their own loyalty or other discount schemes.
8. Employees must not under any circumstances personally benefit from any supermarket “two for one” or similar offers when using clients’ funds. This includes staff not using their own loyalty schemes.
9. Involvement of a service user by staff member in any gambling syndicates (e.g. lotteries, football pools) is strictly forbidden.
10. Staff must not retain any keys belonging to service users unless permitted and documented by a Senior Manager.
11. Employees are not allowed to any service users’ personal property. This includes use of their phone to make or receive calls, text or messages, unless in emergencies or important matters relating to the service user and must be recorded Clients’ records and the Line Manager informed.
12. Staff are prohibited from eating food provided by service users. Unless under a scheme approved by management deemed to be of therapeutic value to Client, and in that case some financial contribution from the employee maybe required.

Professional Relationships and Behaviour

All relationships with service users must be professional in nature and appropriate boundaries must be observed at all times. Employees must observe the following principles in developing and maintaining professional relationships:

1. All Staff must refuse gifts and hospitality in any monetary form offered to them or members of their family by any person or body that has any dealings with Rees Healthcare. Where there is any doubt, the concerned employee should contact their supervisor or line manager for guidance.
2. Where a donation or gift may be of low value like a box of Chocolate such gifts shall only be accepted by the approval of the employee’s line Manager. Any charitable donation to Rees Healthcare can only be used for the benefit of service users whilst approved by the Manager. In the event of the acceptance of a donation, such must be recorded in the service user’s file and countersigned by the Service Manager and also entered into the Company Gift/Donation Register. All donations will be acknowledged in writing.
3. No financial transaction of any form is allowed between employees of Reescare and its’ clients. Any of our clients that may need financial support for food or similar needs must be reported timely to Management for appropriate intervention.
4. Under no circumstances must staff enter into any form of trading between service users and their family members.
5. Employees must never provide any of assistance whatsoever to service users regarding a will or its drafting.
6. Employees must not under any circumstances accept legacies or gifts from the wills of clients. Staff should not incur or accept any liability on behalf of customer and refrain from giving advice in relation to any legal arrangement or document.
7. Employees must under no circumstances buy goods and service for customer using their own loyalty or other discount schemes.
8. Employees must not under any circumstances personally benefit from any supermarket “two for one” or similar offers when using clients’ funds. This includes staff not using their own loyalty schemes.
9. Involvement of a service user by staff member in any gambling syndicates (e.g. lotteries, football pools) is strictly forbidden.
10. Staff must not retain any keys belonging to service users unless permitted and documented by a Senior Manager.
11. Employees are not allowed to any service users’ personal property. This includes use of their phone to make or receive calls, text or messages, unless in emergencies or important matters relating to the service user and must be recorded Clients’ records and the Line Manager informed.
12. Staff are prohibited from eating food provided by service users. Unless under a scheme approved by management deemed to be of therapeutic value to Client, and in that case some financial contribution from the employee maybe required.

Working with Colleagues

Team work is vital in providing effective services, to ensure good team work the following must be observed by all staff:

1. Every member’s contribution must be valued and respected.
2. Avoid any action that may undermine team trust and effectiveness. Rees Healthcare will take action against any employee who is found to be perpetrating hurtful or abusive utterances about colleagues.
3. Intimate relationships and close personal friendships between employees within staff teams can create conflicts of interest. Staff will be encouraged to disclose such relationships to their supervisor, Service Manager or the Human Resources Manager so that consideration can be given as to the impacts on the work environment.
4. Management will ensure equitable sharing of appropriate responsibility, resources, duties and work to promote morale affective work outcomes.

Flexibility

Our services are provided seven days a week and cover the full 24-hour period, to meet the needs of service users at all time. It is therefore important for all staff to be prepared to work in a flexible and responsive manner. This is a contractual obligation and a professional responsibility.

The principles underlying allocation of working hours are those of transparency and equity. In order to be fair to colleagues, unsociable hours must be shared in a reasonable and transparent way within the staff team. While personal requirement may be taken into account, the needs of service users are paramount.

Flexibility must be there as needs of service users will change from time to time, so must our services too must be subjected to review and change to meet client’s needs. All employees are expected to respond to such changes in a positive way. There will be reasonable consultation and notice regarding changes in working practices, and consideration will be given to personal circumstances as much as possible.

Equality of Opportunity

All employees must observe Rees Healthcare’s Equal Opportunity policy in respect of their work with clients, colleagues and others.

Staff are also expected to be familiar with related policies, including:Anti-Discriminatory Practice, Bullying at Work, and Harassment at work.

Rees Healthcare is committed to the pursuit of anti-discriminatory practice. We take a zero-tolerance approach towards any discriminatory behaviour by employees towards colleagues, service users or others that does not respect the equality or human rights of all individuals. Any employee whose actions or inaction and behaviour are discriminatory or disrespectful to service users, colleagues or others on the basis of any protected characteristics, including (but not limited to) race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, gender identity or expression, age or sexuality will face disciplinary action under Rees Healthcare’s disciplinary procedures.

Business Ethics

Rees Healthcare is committed to an honest and ethical style of working with partners, customers and other agencies.

No employee or representative of Rees Healthcare may engage in a dishonest or unfair activity or practice in pursuit of Rees Healthcare’s business interests.

Staff who are involved in business procurement and tendering must ensure that all their actions are beyond suspicion and no attempts should be made to unfairly influence the outcome of such processes.

Rees Healthcare operates in an increasingly competitive market and, therefore, staff are reminded that they are not permitted to disclose confidential finances or other information or trade secrets of Rees Healthcare to any third party or competitor without authority or consent (please refer to the Disciplinary Policy for more information).

Declaration of interests

Rees Healthcare will ensure that all our business transactions are open, transparent and honest. All employees will be required to declare any actual or potential interests that may appear or may constitute a conflict of interest.

Such interests could be any of the following:

1. As a member of a Local Authority or appointment on to the board or other committee of a public body (e.g., Health Authority).
2. Close relationships with others who are elected members of a Local Authority appointment as a representative of the board or other committee of a public body (e.g., Health Authority).
3. Membership of the Board of another charity, voluntary agency or limited company.
4. Paid or unpaid employment outside Rees Healthcare.
5. Consultancy or training carried out for other agencies.

Employees will be required to declare their interests in writing. Such information will be retained in the employee’s personnel file, while copies will be retained in a Declaration of interest file held by the Human Resources Manager. Any challenges with interests declared will be discussed and addressed appropriately with the employee and the Managing Director.

Employees must disclose and seek approval from their manager for any additional work they may wish to carry out outside Rees Healthcare. Such declaration will be assessed for any conflict of interest and also in line with the Employee’s working hours and the Working Time Regulations (1998).

Employees will not be allowed to undertake any personal work of any sort during their working hours with Rees Healthcare or use Rees Healthcare’s facilities in relation to additional employment.

Caldicott principles

The Caldicott Committee was set up to review ways in which service user information is used in the need to ensure that confidentiality is not undermined. Subsequently, it was recommended that all services in which service user data is handled must appoint a Caldicott Guardian to be responsible for protecting the confidentiality of service user information enabling appropriate information-sharing. The Guardian plays a key role in ensuring that we satisfy the highest practical standards for handling service user identifiable information.

The report also developed six general principles, which are:

Reporting of Personal Issue

Any employee who may be concerned in doubt that a relationship (or indeed any other matter) could compromise (or be perceived to compromise) their judgement or professional integrity, should immediately discuss this with their supervisor. This will help protect the staff member’s reputation as well as that of the Company.

Reporting of Professional Concerns

All employees have a duty to promote high standards of professional conduct within the company and are therefore expected to promptly report any concerns they may have about the welfare of service users, the conduct of colleagues or of other professionals and workers.

Rees Healthcare acknowledges that it can be very difficult for employees to report concerns they may hold regarding the conduct or practice of a colleague, particularly when these involve senior staff or fellow team members.

In order to support individuals in reporting their concerns we have put in place a Whistblowing policy that includes procedures to support individuals in reporting suspected misconduct or malpractice.

Malpractice includes (but is not limited to) conduct likely to prejudice the reputation of Rees Healthcare, breaches of internal policies and practices or an act that constitutes abuse in accordance with Rees Healthcare’s Safeguarding Adults and Safeguarding Children and Young People policies, criminal offences or breaches in civil law, endangerment of the health and safety of any person, environmental damage and the deliberate concealment of any act of malpractice.

Reporting Concerns Regarding Vulnerable Adults

Rees Healthcare has a corporate policy, Safeguarding Adults, with which all employees, including bank workers, volunteers, students on placement, interns and Board members must be familiar with. A ‘Notification of Professional Concerns’ form is attached to the Safeguarding Adults policy and must be used to report all professional concerns, including notification of adults and children at risk.

If allegations of abuse that have occurred within domiciliary service that is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), it is essential for the Registered Manager or Senior Manager for that service to report the allegations in writing to the appropriate local CQC Officer within the designated local area. All safeguarding allegation that falls within Department of Health guidelines are reported to the Disclosure and Barring Service for consideration, in relation to the nature of the offence, and where applicable, inclusion on the SOVA list.