NEWS RELEASE FROM THE
REGISTERED NURSING HOME ASSOCIATION
Issued 13th October 2004
NURSING HOMES WELCOME EXTENSION OF CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU CHECKS TO THE NHS, BUT QUESTION THE OMISSION OF POVA CHECKS
The Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA) today welcomed the Department of Health’s announcement that, from early next year, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks will apply to the NHS as well as to independent providers of health care.
RNHA chief executive officer, Frank Ursell, said: “It is absolutely right that NHS staff should be checked out in exactly the same way as nursing home staff have had to be checked out for the past two years. What is puzzling is the fact that the NHS didn’t have to start doing the checks at the same time as nursing homes or the independent sector generally.”
The RNHA is also concerned that nothing has yet been said by the Government about the need for the NHS to comply with the new POVA (Protection of Vulnerable Adults) regulations which, from July 2004, have required nursing homes, residential care homes and domiciliary care agencies to carry out additional checks on new staff.
Said Mr Ursell: “We in the independent sector acknowledge and support the need to ensure that our staff are fit to work with vulnerable adults. We have to get both CRB and POVA checks carried out on new staff likely to come into regular contact with older people in our care.
“But the Minister has not said anything about the NHS having to do likewise in the future. The danger is that, whilst new NHS staff working with older people are not subject to a POVA check, unscrupulous individuals intent on harming vulnerable adults will slip through the net because they find it easier to gain employment within the NHS than outside it.
“The RNHA therefore urges the Government to tackle this discrepancy with the utmost urgency in order to ensure that would-be abusers are kept away from older people receiving residential or domiciliary care from any provider.”
END
Notes to editors:
1. The Registered Nursing Home Association represents around 1,200 independent sector nursing homes in the UK.
2. Since 26th July 2004, nursing homes, care homes and domiciliary care agencies have been under a statutory duty to get POVA checks carried out when appointing new members of staff likely to come into regular contact with older people. These checks are intended to add an extra layer of protection to the pre-employment process.
Currently, POVA checks are not carried out by the NHS. The Government has made no announcement about when they will be introduced in the NHS.
3 Since April 2002, the Criminal Records Bureau has been the central body charged by the Government with undertaking checks on individuals applying for employment in nursing homes and care homes. Until now, the NHS has not been obliged to undertake CRB checks. Today’s announcement by the Department of Health means that the NHS will be covered by the scheme from an undisclosed date in the early part of the next year.
For further information and comment please contact:
Frank Ursell, Chief Executive Officer, Registered Nursing Home Association
Tel: 0121-454 2511 or mobile 07785 227000
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