Unison, one of the main trade unions with members in the healthcare sector, has raised concerns about a "lottery" faced by nurses and other public sector workers regarding who foots the bill for essential criminal record checks. Most workers in the healthcare sector will require enhanced DBS checks before starting work. This recognises that their role puts them in a position of trust in terms of their patients. Enhanced DBS checks are the most detailed, and certificates might list not only current and unspent criminal convictions and spent convictions which are disregarded in other situations.
Payment for DBS Checks
According to new research from Unison, 42% of frontline healthcare workers in roles which need an enhanced DBS check are being asked by their employers to cover the costs themselves. Unison are campaigning to abolish this practice, asking that the NHS standardises recruitment processes to make things fairer for nurses and other frontline staff.
All healthcare employers in England and Wales use Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for looking into prospective employees' criminal records, irrespective of the position they are applying for. Some back-office roles in the NHS which will never involve direct contact with any patients, might only require a standard DBS rather than an enhanced check.
Unison's report acknowledges the legal responsibility of employers to ensure the safety of patients and the public and is not calling for any changes to be made to the basic premise of using criminal record checks to assess suitability. However, the Unison survey also reveals that many employers are shifting the responsibility and financial burden of criminal record checks onto their staff.
The Unison report has revealed a "lottery" regarding who bears the cost of the DBS check and warns of variations in the amounts some staff are being charged by their employers. It also notes that bank staff often have to cover the cost of their own DBS checks while their permanent colleagues often have to pay the cost upfront but are then reimbursed through their salaries. It also highlights that nurses and other staff who work both for the NHS and who take on extra work through agencies or bank shifts often have to pay for multiple DBS checks.
Low-Paid Workers
Unison has also said that the individuals most likely to be adversely affected by this "lottery" are women, those in low-paid positions, and overseas workers. The union has also raised that point that employers who expect potential staff to pay for their own DBS checks will find it even harder to find workers, at a time of an ongoing recruitment and retention crisis in the public sector. During the pandemic, the fee for DBS checks was waived for health and social care applicants to make it easier for the NHS to get staff into positions quickly. Unison is now calling for an extension of this waiver to all public sector services and for a change in the law to stop employers shifting essential costs onto their staff.
