Code of Conduct

Document Details

INTRODUCTION

This Code of Conduct sets out the high standards of conduct and integrity, which all staff of Gladstones Clinic, regardless of their role or position, are required to adopt for themselves, and encourage in colleagues by example. Adhering to this code will protect you and everyone from misunderstanding or criticism.

As a Gladstones Clinic employee, you are expected to uphold the following principles:

• Selflessness – take decisions solely in terms of the values and aims of Gladstones Clinic. You should not do so in order to gain financial or material benefits for yourself or family or friends.
• Integrity – do not place yourself under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence you in the performance of your duties. Staff should be familiar with the Association’s policy on gifts and hospitality.
• Objectivity – make certain that in the delivery of services, the appointment of staff or the awarding of contracts, you ensure impartiality and that choices are made on merit alone.
• Accountability – accept accountability for your decisions and actions to the senior manager, our clients, the funding bodies and other stakeholders.
• Openness – be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that you take, whilst observing confidentiality, and to submit yourself to whatever scrutiny is appropriate.
• Honesty – declare any private interests relating to your duties, and take steps to resolve any conflicts to protect the reputation of the Association and yourself.
• Leadership – promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

GENERAL STANDARDS

Personal Conduct

Gladstones Clinic employees are expected to give the highest possible standard of service. Whenever you are in public, especially any situation where service users or other stakeholders are involved, and where the reputation of the Association is paramount, you should behave in a manner which is consistent with acceptable and appropriate standards of courtesy, decency and sobriety.

You must comply with the spirit and the letter of the Organisation’s Equality and Diversity policies to ensure that anyone who comes into contact with Gladstones Clinic is treated fairly and with respect.

Financial Conduct

You must ensure that you use funds and resources entrusted to you for the purpose intended in a reasonable and lawful manner. You should strive to ensure value for money for the Association, its service users, and public and charitable funds. You should observe Gladstones Clinic’s financial regulations and internal controls.

Directors

You are responsible to the Directors of Gladstones Clinic through the Clinic management structure.

SERVICE DELIVERY: RELATIONSHIPS

Introduction

Staff should ensure that they are familiar with Gladstones Clinic’s values and understand how they are translated into working practice.

All staff should respect clients and ensure that their dignity, individuality, rights and responsibilities are upheld. Key values in service delivery are client empowerment, maximising recovery and independence, flexible and responsive services and partnership working. Other key guidelines on your work are set out below.

You should maintain professional boundaries and a high standard of personal integrity when working with clients. You should never allow yourself to be compromised by or take advantage of your relationship with clients.

You must not:

• Develop personal relationships with service users (e.g. engage in any non-work activity).
• Buy goods or services from our suppliers without following the rules.
• Accept bribes or inducements.
• Offer unauthorised gifts.
• Use your position to gain an advantage e.g. housing.
• Use loyalty cards except those belonging to the service user, when shopping for them.
• Make personal use of the service user’s property, e.g. mobile phone.
• Involve a service user in gambling syndicates (e.g. lottery, football pools).
• Borrow from or lend money to a service user.
• Act as a guarantor for a service user or their family.
• Act as a referee for a service user.
• Act as power of attorney for a service user’s affairs or as an executor or trustee of a service users will or estate.
• Influence or benefit from a service user’s legacy.
• Sell or dispose of goods belonging to a service user and / or their family for personal gain.
• Sell goods or services to a service user.
• Incur a liability on behalf of a service user.
• Take personal responsibility for looking after any valuables on behalf of a service user.
• Take any unauthorised person (including children) or pets into a service user’s home.
• Give service users or their social connections including family members your personal telephone number or home address. All contact must be made through the main clinic and be transparent.
• Take/invite service users to your home.
• Divulge personal opinion to a service user about the service, its staff and other stakeholders.

You should keep up to date with the services provided within Gladstones Clinic and impart this information in a clear and professional manner.

Potential Clients

If you are involved in the allocation of housing or services, you must ensure absolute impartiality in the decisions made and avoid any conflict of interest. If you or any of your relatives are applying for housing/or services from Gladstones Clinic you must declare that fact.

BALANCING CONFIDENTIALITY AND OPENNESS

Confidentiality

You should treat data about the Clinic, its customers and employees with care and in
accordance with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation. No staff are authorised to make public statements or representations about or on behalf of the Clinic without authority of the Directors or Clinic Manager.

Openness

You need to be aware of which information Gladstones Clinic is open about and act accordingly. If in any doubt you should refer to your manager.

Use of Gladstones Clinic’s Suppliers or Contractors

You should avoid where possible the use for private purposes of suppliers, contractors, consultants or other organisations used by Gladstones Clinic.

If you do use the employer’s suppliers or contractors for personal services you must not give or receive favourable treatment, and the financial transaction must be clearly separated. You must also obtain written consent from your manager before such use.

All current or past relationships of a business or private nature with external contractors or potential contractors should be declared to your manager. This applies whether or not you are involved in the appointment or supervision of contractors.

EMPLOYMENT MATTERS

Ensuring Impartiality

You should not be involved in the appointment, promotion, or decisions relating to discipline or pay adjustments where you are related to an applicant or have a close personal relationship with him or her. Any such relationship should be declared to your manager.

Dress Code

Staff are expected to dress in a manner appropriate to their job and position, and to promote a professional image of Gladstones Clinic at all times. If you arrive for work inappropriately dressed you will be asked to return home and dress appropriately.

Inappropriate clothing includes:

• see through clothing
• very short clothing e.g. miniskirts, shorts
• cropped tops which show the stomach or the chest area
• dirty clothes or clothes with rips or holes in them
• clothes with offensive/provocative slogans.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

Gladstones Clinic has no wish to interfere in the private lives of employees, but there will be occasions where an employee’s outside activities can affect his or her work, or the interests of Gladstones Clinic. This applies equally to unpaid or voluntary activities as to paid work.

Some outside activities could overlap or conflict with the interests of Gladstones Clinic. If in any doubt, you should declare the matter to your manager, and obtain written consent. This also applies to activities arising through your work, or if they make use of material to which you have access by virtue of your position.

You must immediately advise the Clinic Manager of any criminal offence of which you are either charged or convicted, and any motoring offences.

Paid Work

You must obtain written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld, to take any other outside paid employment. You should not take outside employment which conflicts with Gladstones Clinic’s interests.

Use of Facilities

No paid outside work of any sort should be undertaken at your place of work and no use should be made of office facilities (such as telephones, postage or access to secretarial support, internet or email access) in connection with such work.

Political, Campaigning and Public Activities

We encourage staff to play an active wider role in the community. If this extends to political activity you must inform the Directors in advance of seeking office or commencing activities. You must not allow your own personal or political opinions to interfere with your work or impartiality.

GIFTS AND HOSPITALITY

Gifts

You must not accept cash, or personal gifts with a significant monetary value, under any circumstances. Items of nominal value, e.g. free promotional pens etc, may be accepted, as may modest tokens given for traditional reasons e.g. religious festivals etc, If you are in any doubt, discuss with your line manager. Personal gifts may not be solicited under any circumstances. Any gift must be declared.

Hospitality

You should never accept lavish hospitality, or any hospitality, which could be seen as exerting an influence over the way you carry out your duties. Nor should you offer such hospitality to others. As a general rule, you should not accept hospitality, which Gladstones Clinic would not reciprocate in similar circumstances.

Acceptable Hospitality

You may accept modest working meals and light refreshments without making any declaration or obtaining written consent.

Other hospitality may be accepted, with prior written consent, for instance where Gladstones Clinic is being represented, or where the hospitality is corporate rather than personal:

All such hospitality received must be declared to the Chief Executive’s office to be registered in Gladstones Clinic’s hospitality register.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

You must declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest arising from previous sections of this Code in Gladstones Clinic’s register of interests.

You should be meticulous about declaring any actual or potential conflicts of interest as they arise. You must declare to your manager any financial or non-financial interests that you consider could bring about conflict with Gladstones Clinic’s interests.

Gladstones Clinic will maintain a formal register of the interests of Board Members and staff. You will be expected to sign an initial declaration for the register, and thereafter to update it.

If you are the Board Member of another social landlord, voluntary agency or health and social care agency, you should declare conflicts of interest arising in the normal way. The same is true if you are an elected member of a local authority.

If you are present at a Board meeting, which is discussing an item, which poses a conflict of interest for you, you should declare the interest, and offer to leave the meeting
You should recognise that failure to follow this Code of Conduct may damage Gladstones Clinic and its work and so will be viewed as a disciplinary matter.

Membership of certain organisations

You should declare to your manager if you are a member of any organisation not open to the public which has secrecy about its rules or membership conduct.

Further Reference

It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the Organisations internal policies and rules. You should consult the following policy documents held on the electronic file:

• Gifts & Hospitality Policy
• Confidential Reporting (Whistle blowing) Policy
• Financial Regulations
• Confidentiality Policy
• Equality & Diversity Policy
• Dignity at Work Policy
• IT Policy
• Terms and Conditions

You should recognise that failure to follow this Code of Conduct may damage Gladstones Clinic and its work and so will be viewed as a disciplinary matter.