Employment with St Luke's
Hospice
Terms and Conditions
On appointment to a post at St Luke’s Hospice, you will be issued with your Terms & Conditions of Employment. This document contains all the Hospice policies and procedures which must be complied with, and an Employee’s Handbook. You may request to see these at any point following interview. The following is general information covering the most frequently asked questions, or that we are legally obliged to provide.
Location:
St Luke's
Hospice, Kenton Grange, unless otherwise stated
Annual Leave Entitlement:
25 days, plus Bank Holidays, per year, plus 2.5 days after 2 years, rising to 5 days extra after 4 years of service (pro rata for part-time staff)
Working Hours:
The hospice working week is 37.5 hours per week/150 hours per 4-week month for staff. All clinical posts contribute to a 24-hour a day patient service. Therefore, each post will be expected, where appropriate, to ensure cover of the particular service.
All terms and conditions for part-time staff are calculated on pro rata arrangement for the contracted part time hours.
The hospice operates a 3-month probation period for all new post holders which is completed by written confirmation.
Smoking:
It is the policy of this Hospice to promote positive health. Employees are not permitted to smoke on any hospice premises. (You will recognise that discretion is allowed to patients and their relatives in this respect and designated accommodation is made available for patients and relatives only).
Health and Safety:
Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for staff and visitors.
Equal Opportunities:
Employees must, at all times, carry out their responsibilities with due regard to St Luke’s Hospice’s equal opportunities policy.
Induction to new post:
All staff will be expected to participate in an Induction programme that is designed for the area you will be working with. This may necessitate travel outside the Hospice. The completion of any training, as may be required for the safe and effective execution of duties, will be a requirement for continued employment with the Hospice.
Retirement:
The normal age of retirement for men and women is 65.
Employees who are approaching their 65th birthday will be notified of their forthcoming retirement. They will then have an opportunity to make a request to work after normal retirement date. This will be sensitively and sympathetically considered together with the needs of the organisation.
Pension Scheme:
St. Luke’s Hospice has been granted Direction Employer status under Section 7(2) of the Superannuation (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 1967. Therefore, if you are currently employed by the NHS, you may transfer and continue your pension arrangements. Non-NHS staff may opt to join the Hospice Pension Scheme, which requires a deduction from pay. The Hospice also contributes to the Scheme on your behalf. The Hospice only contributes to the NHS Superannuation Scheme or the Hospice Scheme. Further details of the pension options open to you are available in the Staff Handbook or from the Human Resources Department on taking up a post.
Data Protection Act 1998:
In line with the Care Standards Act 2000, the information contained in your application will be used solely for employment purposes; i.e. it will be used as part of the recruitment and selection process. It will be placed on the personal file of the successful candidate, forming part of the employment record with the Hospice. Application forms for unsuccessful applicants are retained by the Human Resources Department for legal reasons. They are destroyed after 6 months.
Care Standards Act 2000:
The hospice is registered with the National Care Standards Commission under the Care Standards Act of 2000. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is the Registered owner, on behalf of the Trustees, and the Director of Patient Services is the Registered Manager with responsibility and accountability for the National Minimum Standards and Regulations. (A copy is available in the Inpatient and Day Care Units and in the Director of Patient Services’ office).
The National Care Standards Commission employs inspectors to inspect the premises, to ascertain good clinical practice, and to ensure the safe and legislative employment of personnel and the application of specific policies and procedures.
These inspections are usually arranged for once a year, but all personnel should note that the inspectors are entitled to enter the building at any time of the day or night.
Criminal Records Bureau:
An Enhanced Disclosure will be requested from the Criminal Records Bureau for successful applicants under the provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000. This post is exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. You are not entitled to withhold information about convictions, which for other purposes are spent under these provisions. Information given will be confidential and will be considered only in relation to this application. You will be issued with the Form, on acceptance of a Job Offer. Completed forms need to be brought to the Human Resources Department, along with, generally, three forms of identification.
Asylum & Immigration Act 1996:
In accordance with the above Act, the Hospice will require new members of staff to provide documentary evidence that they are legally entitled to live and work in the United Kingdom. You will be required to provide documentary proof of identity and of qualifications, under the requirements of the Care Standards Act 2000.
Upon attending an interview or taking up a post at the Hospice you must have CRB clearance. and thus must provide some of the following documents. A member of the staff from the Personnel & Volunteering Office will take a photocopy of the document and return the original to you: -
• A document from a previous employer, the Inland Revenue, the Benefits Agency, the Contributions Agency or the Employment Service showing your name and National Insurance number. This could be a P45, a pay slip, a P60, a NI card or a letter.
• A passport confirming that you are either a British citizen or a European Economic Area national, (EEA), or which shows that you are otherwise entitled to live and work in the United Kingdom. A driving licence.
• A birth certificate confirming birth in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. A letter from the Home Office confirming that you are allowed to work in the United Kingdom.
• A Professional Registration Document, if applicable to the post.
• A work permit issued by the Overseas Labour Service. Such permits are granted when the Hospice is able to persuade the Home Office that there was no suitably qualified EEA applicant available.
Additional information
We hope you will find enough information here, but for any further
help please contact:
Personnel & Volunteering,
St Luke's Hospice (Harrow & Brent)
Kenton Grange
Kenton Road
Harrow
Middlesex
HA3 0YG
Phone: Personnel and Volunteering on 020 8382 8000. Or send an e-mail.
