Annual Statement

This statement is made as part of Medicare Insourcing Services Ltd.’s (“Medicare”) commitment to eliminating the exploitation of people under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“the Act”). It summarises how Medicare operates, the policies and processes in place to minimise the possibility of any problems, any risks we have identified and how we monitor them, and how we train our staff.

This statement is published in accordance with section 54 of the Act, and relates to the financial year April 2022 to April 2023. It was approved by the board of directors in April 2023.

Our Business

Medicare is a limited company operating in the healthcare sector. We supply a medical service to the NHS to reduce backlogs and improve patient outcomes.

Medicare is an independent business.

Who we work with

All of the clinicians we recruit are identified by our own staff. Some of them operate through their own limited companies.

The clients that we work with are located throughout the UK. The clinicians we supply for our services live throughout the UK.

Other relationships

As part of our business, we also work with the following organisations:

  • NMC, GMC, HCPC amongst other professional bodies.
  • DBS

Our Policies

Medicare has a modern slavery policy which is available on request.

In addition, Medicare has the following policies which incorporate ethical standards for our staff.

  • Anti-bribery / corruption policy, and
  • Raising concerns policy (whistle-blowing).

Policy development and review

Medicare’s policies are established by our Head of Clinical Governance and Medical Directors, based on advice from HR professionals, industry best practice and legal advice, and in consultation with the board of directors. We review our policies on a regular basis, or as needed to adapt to changes.

Our Processes for Managing Risk

In order to assess the risk of modern slavery, we use the following processes with our suppliers:

  • When engaging with suppliers, we ask for evidence of their processes and policies, including commitments around modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, human rights, and whistle-blowing.
  • We conduct audits before entering into a commercial relationship with any business where there is the potential for risk. These audited businesses form the basis of our preferred supplier list.
  • We review the potential for risk at regular intervals, including the possibility of re-auditing a supplier or conducting spot checks.

After due consideration, we have not identified any significant risks of modern slavery, forced labour, or human trafficking in our supply chain. However, we continue to be alert to the potential for problems.

  • We reserve the right to conduct spot-checks of the businesses who supply us, in order to investigate any complaints.
  • We require the businesses we work with to publish a modern slavery statement, if appropriate.
  • We collaborate with our suppliers in order to improve standards and transparency across our supply chain.
  • Only senior members of staff who have undergone appropriate training for assessing modern slavery risks in the supply chain are authorised to sign contracts and establish commercial relationships in any area where we have identified the potential for risk.
  • We ensure that all of our suppliers are members of appropriate industry bodies and working groups.

Our staff are encouraged to bring any concerns they have to the attention of management.

Our Performance

As part of monitoring the performance of Medicare, we track the following general key performance indicators:

  • The level of compliance and transparency we have within our established supply chain.
  • The speed in which we investigate related complaints.

Based on the potential risks we have identified, we have also established the following key performance indicators, which are regularly assessed by our board of directors:

  • the percentage of suppliers who sign up to an appropriate code / provide their own modern slavery statements.
  • the effectiveness of enforcement against suppliers who breach policies.
  • the amount of time spent on audits, re-audits, spot checks, and related due diligence.
  • the level of modern slavery training and awareness amongst our staff.

We carefully consider our indicators, in order to ensure that we do not put undue pressure on our suppliers that might increase the potential for risk.

Our Training

All of our staff receive training and support that is appropriate to their role. In particular:

  • Our staff receive awareness-raising information around issues involving modern slavery and human trafficking, so that they can bring any concerns they have to the attention of management.

As part of this, our staff are encouraged to discuss any concerns that they have. Training is refreshed regularly.