NHS staff to undergo criminal checks
The Government has announced that from next year the majority of new staff in the NHS will be required to undergo criminal record checks.
All new staff who will have direct contact with patients as part of their normal duties will have to undergo checks by the Criminal Records Bureau, such as doctors, nurses and cleaners.
Currently, only those staff working directly with children must undergo the checks, though a number of trusts already check new staff. The checks are commonplace in other aspects of the public services, particularly in education and social work.
Announcing the regulatory change, Health Minister John Hutton, said: “We want to do all we can to ensure the safety of patients receiving treatment on the NHS. Checks on the criminal records of new recruits will help us achieve this aim. The security of patients must always be our top priority.
“The results of the checks will help NHS employers make safer recruitment decisions and give the public extra piece of mind.”
He stressed that recent surveys of NHS employers indicated a good level of support for compulsory checks.
Jim Gee, chief executive of the NHS Counter Fraud and Security, said: “Criminal Records Bureau checks will be a useful tool in preventing NHS fraud. Over the last five years, a number of fraud cases have involved individuals concealing criminal records to gain employment. These checks will make this harder for new NHS recruits. We believe these checks will help our work in reducing losses to fraud and make a safer and more secure NHS.”
