Health and social care personnel - international recruitment: updated code of practice

Revision of the code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel in Scotland to ensure ethical recruitment.


Roles and Responsibilities

Scottish Government

  • Works with the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the other Devolved Governments to agree the policy for the Code of Practice.

Department of Health and Social Care (For England)

  • Works with the Devolved Governments (including Scottish Government) to set the policy for the code of practice.
  • Leads on bilateral discussions on health and care workforce and the negotiation and implementation of government-to-government agreements
  • Maintains stakeholder relations with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on international recruitment matters including exchange of information and reporting.
  • Responds to complaints or other information about the code of practice and any breaches, in conjunction with NHS Employers.

NHS Employers

Although NHS Employers is the employers' organisation for the NHS in England, its work in relation to the Code of Practice is carried out on behalf of the UK as a whole, including the Devolved Administrations.

  • NHS Employers manages and hosts the ethical recruiters list of recruiting organisations that adhere to the Code of Practice to help health and social care employers with their selection process.
  • Hosts and updates information about each of the UK Codes of Practice, and the red and amber list of countries on its website and undertakes communications activity to promote the Code of Practice.
  • Provides a dedicated advice and support service to health and care organisations throughout the UK to help them to follow the guiding principles of the Code of Practice in all their recruitment activities.
  • Provide a mechanism for stakeholders across the system to promote the Code of Practice, assess activity and, if necessary, address poor practice with employers.
  • Undertakes routine checks on compliance of a recruitment organisation, agency or collaboration with the Code of Practice and responds to complaints or other information with regards to breaches of the Code. NHS Employers also takes necessary action as set out in the process for Code of Practice contraveners section of this code.

Local health and social care employers (NHS, local authority, and independent/private sector employing organisations):

  • Recruitment of international health and social care personnel to fill vacancies is in line with the Code of Practice.
  • Provide a comprehensive plan for induction, pastoral and professional support. This should include preparing their own workforces and workplaces and ensure international migrants are signposted to appropriate organisations, including the relevant professional and regulatory bodies for further support, advice and guidance.
  • Only use recruitment organisations, agencies or collaborations on the ethical recruiters list. The list should be used and checked on a regular basis by all health and social care organisations engaged in international recruitment, both in the public and independent sectors.
  • Should ensure that adherence to the code of practice is a contractual obligation of sub-contractors.

Recruitment organisations, agencies and collaborations:

  • Provide international recruitment services to health and social care employers wishing to employ health and social care personnel from countries outside the UK.
  • Join the ethical recruiters list and operate in accordance with the Code of Practice.
  • Follow best practice benchmarks in all recruitment practices and maintain their duties with respect to the Code of Practice. The relevant recruitment lead within each organisation must:
  • Ensure their contact details are kept up to date on the ethical recruiters list.
  • Submit timely data on recruitment activity when requested by NHS Employers or UK statutory regulators.

Ensure all staff involved in the recruitment of health and social care personnel are aware of and adhere to the code of practice.

World Health Organization (WHO)

  • WHO provides guidance through the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and, in collaboration with its member states, periodically reviews the WHO Global Code of Practice’s relevance and effectiveness
  • Monitors implementation of the Global Code of Practice by member states and reports on this to World Health Assembly every 3 years.
  • Manages a list of the countries with the most pressing UHC-related health workforce challenges, which is subject to periodic review.

Contact

Email: sharon.wilson@gov.scot

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