Our policies and procedures

Policies and procedures relating to the conduct of business and the provision of services

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust follows national pricing policy for the provision of NHS services. Details of the relevant policy documents can be located on the Department of Health Website

Human resources (including Race, Disability, Age and Gender, Equal Opportunities)

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is committed to embedding equality and diversity in all the services offered to staff, patients and visitors.  

Recuitment and employment

This section provides details of all human resources-related information within the Trust including employment policies and procedures.

The following documents are available on the Trust's website or from the FOI Co-ordinator.

Note: Class 12 covers information of a personal and confidential nature, some of which may be covered under the Data Protection Act and will therefore need to be excluded. Material relating to health and safety of specific individuals, as to law enforcement, criminal or regulatory enforcement, or audit issues (in certain circumstances), may also be excluded from publication.

Introduction

The Trust's workforce is our key asset. It is through our staff that we continue to provide high quality care to our patients. It is through our staff that we provide the facilities and supporting services that back up our clinical services. And it is through our staff that the Trust is able to continuously develop and improve.

There are several principles that underpin our approach to how we recruit, manage and develop our workforce.

The Trust's published vision and values:

• Every member of staff and every team should be able to add value to the work of the Trust.
• Every team and every member of staff should be clear of their role and how it contributes to the work of the Trust.
• Every individual should be able to receive the support and the development they need to effectively perform their job.
• Every individual will be assessed on their performance.
• Promoting excellent communications.
• Encouraging staff participation and involvement, involving staff and staff side unions in all changes that affect staff.
• By the Trust recognising the importance of diversity and the need to eliminate all unfair and unlawful discrimination in employment.
• Promoting health and wellness at work.
• Continuously seeking to improving the benefits and facilities for staff.
• Introducing the two new NHS pay systems (for consultants and for most other staff) so that they enable us to reward staff fairly and consistently for their contribution, in order to attract, recruit and retain high quality staff; encourage staff development and career progression; encourage increasing flexibility.
• Meeting all employment law requirements and wherever appropriate introducing policies in advance of known legal changes.

Working for the Trust

The Trust's list of vacant posts is updated every week. The latest vacancies are available in the careers section of this website.

General enquiries can also be made by telephoning the Trust's Recruitment Department: 0118 963 6353.

Terms and conditions of employment

• Board Directors
  The names and salaries of the Trust's Board Directors can be found in the Trust's Annual Report which is available in Our performance section.
• Information on the Clinical Excellence Awards
  for consultant medical staff.
• The Trust's monitoring reports for April 2004 and October 2005 are available from the FOI Coordinator.

Other Trust staff

From 1 October 2004 the NHS has been introducing new terms and conditions for most other staff groups (with the exception of a few very senior, Board-level management jobs). These changes are known as Agenda for Change. Both nationally, and within the Trust, the new terms and conditions are being introduced in partnership between management and staff side trade unions

Within the Trust the implementation of the changes are being led by the Trust's Agenda for Change Steering Group.

Terms of reference available from the FOI Co-ordinator.
The three key documents are:

• Agenda for Change: Final Agreement, November 2004
• Agenda for Change: Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, November 2004
• The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (NHS KSF) and the Development Review Process, October 2004

Trades unions and staff associations

The Trust recognises that it is of mutual benefit of the Trust and its employees to be represented and therefore recognises a number of Unions and Associations for sole bargaining rights to represent their members.

Equality and diversity in employment

The Trust recognises the importance of diversity and the need to eliminate discrimination, both in the Trust's role as a provider of services and as an employer. The following documents are available on the Trust's website or from the FOI Co-ordinator.: 

• Equality of Opportunity and Diversity
•  Bullying and Harassment at Work Procedure
•  Race Equality Scheme, Version 1 (September 2002)
• The Journey to Race Equality: progress against the Trust's 
  Race Equality Scheme (May 2004)
• Workforce Race Equality Standard
• Workforce Rate Equality Standard Improvement Plan 2016

The Trust has the following equality and diversity groups:

• Race Equality Group
• Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Network Steering Group
• Disability Group
• Reading Declaration: the Trust is a signatory of the Reading Declaration, thereby committed to seeking to develop strategies to counteract racism in all its forms.

The Rainbow day nursery and Trust holiday club

The Trust runs a nursery for the children of staff, as well as a holiday club, open during the main school holidays.

OFSTED reports on both the nursery and the holiday club. 

For further information about the nursery or holiday club please contact the Nursery Manager on 0118 322 7112.

Risk Management Strategy & Policy

Standing financial instructions

Standing orders

Complaints and other customer service policies and procedures

The 'Talk to Us' initiative aims to give people the confidence to make
comments and raise any worries as soon as they arise, without having to go through the NHS Complaints Procedure. The public are encouraged to speak directly to the ward staff, or to an Operations Manager or Divisional Nurse if they feel that the issue is serious or relates more generally to the service or the ward.

We want to know what you think about the services we provide at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

For more information see Talk to Us.

General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Bill 2018 / information governance / Caldicott guardian

Information relating to data protection including details of the Trust's Caldicott guardian are included in the publication scheme section.

Copies of the Trust's policies for Data Protection and Freedom of Information can be found on the links below.

Freedom of Information Policy

Data Protection Policy

Privacy Notice

Further information of the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act can be found on the Office of Public Section Information Website by using the links below:

Freedom of Information Act

Data Protection Act

Estate Management

The Trust is re-aligning its Real Estate management with the Clinical Strategy. It is anticipated this joint work will see a number of exciting and innovative solutions to our real estate, including disposing of surplus property, reclassifying the use of some buildings and challenging the way in which we currently our real estate including exploring the benefits and dis-benefits around increased home working.

Charging regimes and policies

The Royal Berkshire Hospitals Foundation Trust follows national pricing policy for the provision of NHS services. Details of the relevant policy documents can be located on the Department of Health website