NG Healthcare Staff Handbook

OUR STAFF HANDBOOK

We make what matters, better, together

Version 8 October 2022

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR

NEW ROLE AND WELCOME TO

THE NG HEALTHCARE TEAM!

How to use this Handbook

This handbook sets out all the information you need to find out about NG Healthcare and a little more about our policies, procedures and benefits. It explains the opportunities that are available to you as part of the NG Healthcare team, and we hope it will be a good point of reference if you need to find out some information on the terms and conditions of your employment contract. This is your personal copy so when you have finished reading it, please keep it in a safe place for easy reference as you may find it useful to refer back to from time to time. Please ensure you sign and return the form provided during your induction days to acknowledge that you have received a copy of the handbook and you understand it is your responsibility to read and familiarise yourself with the contents. It may seem like there’s a lot to remember, but if you have any questions, your Line Manager or HR will be able to help and support you.

This handbook applies to all employees.

Contents

Welcome

Page 2 - 4

A great place to work

Our Core Values

Page 5 - 6

Our Structure

Page 7 - 9

Who’s who

Where & What

Page 10 - 16

NG Healthcare at a Glance

Your Development

Page 17 - 21

Learning & Development

Your Uniform

Page 22 - 25

What to wear & your appearance

Your Pay

Page 26 - 29

All about pay and pensions

Your Holidays

Page 30 - 35

Entitlement & how to book

Information and Communication How we communicate together

Page 36 - 37

Your Attendance

Page 38 - 45

Sickness Absence Unpaid Absence – Dependency Leave

Contents

Your Family Friendly Rights

Page 46 - 54

Maternity Leave Paternity Leave Parental Leave Shared Paternity Adoption Leave Flexible Working

Your Conduct and Responsibilities Individual Responsibilities at Work Raising your Concerns Solving Problems

Page 55 - 57

Your Data

Page 58 - 63

Redundancy

Page 64 - 65

Retirement

Page 66 - 67

Your Safety Staying Safe

Page 68 - 86

You’re Moving On

Page 87 - 88

Leaving NG Healthcare

Your Further Information & Contacts

Page 89 - 98

Further Information Useful Contacts

A great place to work • Welcome to NG Healthcare

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Welcome - A Great Place to Work

Welcome to NG Healthcare. We want you to know that you are joi ning a business which really values our people. You’re the key to our success, which is why we’ve made it our goal to understand what matters to you and our residents, and to make those things better. We never underestimate how essential our employees are to keeping our business moving and growing. You are what makes NG Healthcare, and in return, we do everything we can to make NG Healthcare a great place to work. Whatever your strengths and ambitions, we’ll give you the support you need to fulfil your potential. We want to help you develop and we provide opportunities for you to develop your career. With the help of our people we’ve come a long way since 1987. In a time of real change for the business, we know that now, more than ever, we need a strong team to help build the NG Healthcare of tomorrow. So thank you for choosing to join the NG Healthcare team. We wish you the best of luck in your new role and future career with us.

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We make what matters, better together

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We Make What Matters Better, Together

Here at NG Healthcare we aim to deliver the best possible care in a secure, safe and homely environment with dignity, diversity and respect for all our residents and members of our staff. At NG Healthcare, we support the core values that we believe are essential for sustained quality of life when living in a residential care setting, regardless of the background of our residents, their religious beliefs, sexuality, colour or creed. Our staff are equally important to us and we operate a truly diverse, equality and value driven recruitment and employment policy. We offer the highest level of care and support to a variety of people with progressive needs. Our team of carers work with Unit Managers and other nursing professionals and together with our retained G.P and other external healthcare workers, provide a comprehensive and highly trained healthcare team.

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Our Core Values • Residents are at the heart of all we do. Our values are

key to our success and shapes our core purpose

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Our Core Values – Values are what we Value

RESPECT We respect each other

PROUD We are always proud and care about what we do

MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE Where we can all contribute , make a difference and be ourselves

OUR VALUES

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Our Structure and Who’s Who

• A glance at how we are structured

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Our Structure and Wh o’s Who

Senior Management Team

Phil Lloyd Director of Clinical Services

Tracy Cox Head of HR

Caron Williams Registered Manager

Business Support Teams

Phil Lloyd Director of Clinical Services

Ian Fairweather

Peter Tilley Senior Maintenance Officer

Annette Gerrard Hygiene Manager

Julie Waine

Tracy Cox Head of Human Resources

Catering Manager

Accounts Manager

Accounts Team/ Reception

HR/ Learning & Development

Maintenance Team

Catering Team

Domestic/ Laundry Teams

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Our Structure and Who’s Who

Clinical Teams

Phil Lloyd Director of Clinical Services

Caron Williams Registered Manager

Julie Clee Mayfield Unit Mgr

Jewel Maravilla Court Walk Unit Mgr

Nicola Caswell Court View Unit Mgr

Rachael Hill Selwyn View Unit Mgr

Nurses and Nurse

Nurses and Nurse

Nurses and Nurse

Nurses and Nurse

Support Workers

Support Workers

Support Workers

Support Workers

Care Coordinator

Care Coordinator

Care Coordinator

Care Coordinator

Care Assistants

Care Assistants

Care Assistants

Care Assistants

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Where and What

• NG Healthcare at a Glance

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Where and What

Main Reception (based in Selwyn House) • Open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays • Welcomes all visitors to the centre • Main Switchboard • General and Accounts Administration • Purchasing • Archiving • Post • Photocopying Human Resources • Open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Evening Surgery every Wednesday to 7pm, to book a slot please contact HR on hr@nghc.co.uk • Recruitment • Disciplinary and Grievance • Sickness, return to work and occupational health • Employment law advice • HR policies/procedures and staff handbook • Terms and conditions of employment • Employee engagement Finance & Payroll (based in reception) • Open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays • Deals with all aspects of your wages and payroll including your P45 and starter details, any tax issues and bank account details • Requests in relation to maternity, paternity, sick pay and other related benefits • Missed and late clocking • Performance management • Learning and development

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Where and What

Allocations • Sets your rota’s and annual leave on the Careblox system

• Allocates and coordinates Agency workers • Provides extra shifts if you request them

Maintenance • Operate 9am-5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays with a

dedicated out of hours on-call service • Provides maintenance across the site

Catering (Based next to Selwyn House) • 7am -7pm 7 days per week including all bank holidays

• Freshly prepared meals by our chefs each day for residents across all units. Provide beverages, snacks and hospitality food as and when required. Domestic and Laundry (based next to Mayfield) • Operate 8am – 4pm 7 days per week including bank holidays. • Domestic teams are dedicated to individual units and work to ensure our environment stays clean and smells fresh all day long • We have our own onsite laundry with a revolutionary Otex system that allows us to wash all our clothes and bedding at low temperatures whilst still eradicating all bacteria

For useful telephone numbers and email addresses see the directory at the back of this handbook

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Our Care Units

• A peak at our Care Units

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Our Care Units

Here at NG Healthcare we are one of the most innovative and specialist care centres in the country offering first class facilities in a state of the art purpose built environment: Selwyn House – ELDERLY NURSING CARE Selwyn View is our specialist dementia unit and is situated on the first floor of Selwyn House, with access to secure gardens and outside areas below. The unit has a reminiscence room and modern bedrooms offering en-suite facilities and personalised décor and furnishings. New House – SPECIALIST NURSING CARE Court Walk is situated at ground floor level and provides care for residents aged 18 and above with a wide range of conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease and other mental health disorders. Court View is situated at first floor level, with access to our internal landscaped court area providing care for clients aged 18 and above with a wide range of conditions such as Huntington’s Disease, Learning Disabilities, Acquired Brian Injury and other neurological conditions. We also have a dedicated Male Dementia unit on this floor. Mayfield – COMPLEX CARE Mayfield is a modern and spacious single storey unit catering for individuals with a variety of needs including Acquired Brain Injury, Early Onset Dementia, JHD, Challenging Behaviour and other neurological disorders. Many residents require 1:1 or 2:1 care.

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Our Facilities

• Staff Room • Car Park ad Cycle Racks • Washroom Facilities • Smoking Area

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Our Facilities

Here at NG Healthcare we have range of facilities for our staff including:

A 24 hour staff room where you can purchase food, cold drinks and coffee shop style drinks from our vending machines.

A dedicated staff room where breaks can be taken. The staff room contains a kitchen area, vending machines, lockers and fridges. You will also find our digital staff communication screen where you can find out all the NG Healthcare news and updates.

During the warmer weather you can enjoy your breaks outside where picnic benches are provided.

We are lucky to have our own free car parking facilities on site, you will find the staff car park to the rear of our site. For cyclists we provide cycle racks. The company accepts no liability whatsoever for loss or damage, or theft from vehicles, howsoever caused, whilst they are on our premises, all vehicles are parked entirely at your own risk. In the training building you will find toilet and shower facilities. Staff are free to use the shower to freshen up before, after or during break whilst at work.

A dedicated smoking area is provided for smokers and staff who use e-cigarettes, this can be found outside next to the staff room.

Please note: Food must never be taken or consumed in the units at any time. It is not permitted for staff to eat any resident food whatsoever on the units and they are not allowed to consume drinks on the units. All staff areas must be kept clean and tidy by all staff using them.

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Your Learning & Development

• Your Induction • Types of Training • Your Career Development

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Your Learning and Development

Here at NG Healthcare we pride ourselves on investing in our staff and supporting you in your choice of career wherever possible. Whether you have joined us a Care Assistant, Care Coordinator, Nurse, Domestic, Maintenance, Catering, Administrative or Business Professional, your development is extremely important to us. We offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities to help you reach your full potential. Your Induction Your learning and development journey starts with us on your induction day followed by a comprehensive 12 week induction programme when you commence. During your induction period you will be partnered with a mentor who will show you the ropes and be there to support and guide you. You will also have your own dedicated induction folder to ensure that you are trained and mentored in all aspects of your role. Your Performance As new starter you will receive a performance review at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after starting your role. After your 12 weeks review you will then move onto 3 monthly performance review meetings. Your review meetings are an opportunity for you and your Line Manager to have an open conversation and to share feedback on your achieve ments. It’s a chance to tell your line manager how we ll you feel you have performed in your role and for them to share any feedback and their assessment of your performance.

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Your Learning and Development

We have performance reviews because we want to:

Have a clear and honest discussion about your performance and celebrate your contribution

Support your career development

Provide opportunities for you to learn and grow, and develop your skills, behaviours and experience

Ensure we play our part in delivering for our resident ’ s everyday

How we deliver our training We have an onsite purpose built training facility with the majority of our training carried out onsite by our own ‘train the trainers’ this enables people who know NG Healthcare and have actually worked in the roles to be the ones imparting their valuable knowledge and skills to you in a way that is relevant and appropriate. For the more specialist and professional courses we only use tried and tested professionals. Our NVQ’s and apprenticeship training is delivered on site in conjunction with local training academies and colleges. This allows learners to receive training in the environment that is both relevant and in context with their ongoing career here with us. We take a blended approach to our training delivery, offering e-learning, face to face training, mentoring and coaching sessions. We understand that people learn in different ways and our skilled learning and development team are able to deliver this. Our development programme will enabl e you to move ‘up the ladder’ and progress your career with NG Healthcare.

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Your Learning and Development

Where training holds a cost, a Training Agreement may be completed. (For an explanation of a Training Agreement please speak to Lisa Hughes the HR/Training Adviser).

Types of Training

Statutory Training – This training is required to ensure the business is meeting our legislative requirements. This training must always be fully up to date and completed by required deadlines. The delivery is mainly via our e-learning system, Careshield. Once you have completed your induction day, and before you are able to commence in your new role, you must complete the statutory e-learning modules, this will ensure that you have the required knowledge to work with our residents. Mandatory Training – This training is an organisational requirement to limit risk and maintain safe working practice. As with statutory training, this must always be fully up to date and completed.

Job Specific Training – This training is what you will require to carry out your role competently and will be part of your ongoing development plan.

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Your Learning and Development

If you are unable to complete or attend statutory or mandatory training once you have been joined up you must inform Laura Gerrard via email at hr@nghc.co.uk at least 7 days before the training date or completion deadline. Unfortunately, if you do not complete or attend training you have been joined up to without prior notice of non-attendance in agreement with your line manager and HR you will be charged which will be deducted from your pay on the next payroll period. If you do not complete your initial and refresher statutory and mandatory training by the deadlines requested this may also result in you being unable to work due to non-compliance. If you are not permitted to work until you have completed the required training this will be unpaid leave. If you have any questions regarding our training programmes and development please speak with your line manager or Lisa Hughes the HR/Training Adviser.

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Your Uniform

What to wear and your appearance

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Your Uniform

Here at NG Healthcare your appearance and attitude really matter to us; this is what leaves a vivid impression on our visitors and residents and is part of who we are and our culture here at NG Healthcare. It is very important that you dress smartly and display the right behaviour and mannerisms at all times.

When you commence you will be provided with professional tunics, colour coded to your job role:

Nurse Support

Nurse

Care Coordinator

Nurse Manager

Activities

Trainer/Assessor

Care Assistant

Domestic/Laundry

When you commence you will also be issued with your identification badge and lanyard which must be worn at all times.

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Your Uniform

In addition to the tunics provided, you are required to purchase and wear at all times:

Black low healed non- slip shoes of a ‘s mart st urdy’ appearance and business like. Due to health and safety reasons you are unable to wear trainers, sandals, pumps, canvas and open type shoes.

Smart full length black trousers. Jeans and combat trousers are not permitted to be worn.

Due to health and safety reasons, only a plain wedding band and stud earrings can be worn at work. Any other type of jewellery cannot be worn.

False nails and nail varnish must not be worn due to infection control.

Hair must be clean, neat and tidy at all times. If you have long hair you will need to tie it back in a neat ponytail or bun.

Under no circumstances can mobile phones be taken on to the unit. They are to remain locked in one of the staff room lockers or in your car. Failure to follow this policy is classed as Gross Misconduct.

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Your Uniform

If you do arrive for shift and are not wearing the correct and appropriate uniform then you may be sent home without pay. Uniform checks also take place periodically by HR to check that uniform is acceptable. Our policy requires NG Healthcare tunics to only be on show whilst working on site. Please ensure that you cover up your tunic with another top when travelling to and from work. This ensures that infection control and professionality is maintained at all times.

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Your Pay and Pension

• All about Pay and Pension

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Your Pay & Pension

When and how do I get paid? You are paid calendar monthly and wages are paid direct into your bank account on the 14 th in the following month after you have worked. Salaried staff are paid direct into their bank account on the 28 th of each month. If the pay date falls on a weekend or bank holiday you will be paid on the nearest business working day prior to the date. Wages are calculated up to the end of the calendar month for all shifts worked from the 1 st of the month to the end of the month. You will receive your payslip electronically to your personal email address. Where do I direct wage queries? If you have a query regarding your shifts worked and what you have been paid you can speak with your Unit Manager who will be able to answer your query. If your query is concerning a tax, NI or pension query then the Accounts Manager will be able to assist you. Who do I inform of any changes? You will need to inform the accounts department of all changes with regard to your bank details, immigration status, personal address, email and telephone number. Remember, if you change banking details at least 1 weeks ’ notice before a payroll period is required to process any change. Please request and complete a change of circumstance form available from the Payroll Department. You will also be required to login to your careblox portal and make changes to your details there. Clocking Requirements and Careblox Each unit has a clocking machine which you must use to ‘ clock ’ at the start and end of each shift and to clock ‘ out ’ and ‘ in ’ for breaks. You must also clock ‘in’ again if you get transferred to another unit for part of your staff. If you fail to clock it will be the next payroll period before you get paid for the missed clocked shift. It is vital to the payroll that you clock every shift and every break.

Your Pay & Pension

If you do fail to cloc k either ‘in’ or ‘out’ a missed clocking form mus t be completed and signed by your line manager on the same day and you must provide this to the payroll department. You will receive your login details for Careblox when you commence. You can view your shifts, company documentation, payslips and can request holidays via the Careblox portal when you log in. If you see any errors regarding your forthcoming shifts please contact the Allocations Officer on 644800. Errors and adjustments to your wages Where errors have occurred in wages paid, or deductions made, these will be rectified and a special payment will be made as soon as possible. If the error occurred due to an error on your part a £40 admin fee will be applied, having not filled in the relevant documentation to ensure accurate payment. Breaks The procedure for taking breaks varies from each unit but usually consists of one or two short breaks of 30 minutes followed by a longer break of 45 minutes. Night shifts consist of 3 x 35 minute breaks.

The current deductions (unpaid) are:

Shifts up to 6 hours

20 minutes 65 minutes 105 minutes 105 minutes

Shifts between 6 & 8 hours

Shifts over 8 hours

Night shift

Nurse night shift

no deductions made

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Your Pay & Pension

You will automatically be enrolled in the workplace pension scheme provided you are 22 and over and earn over a set amount per month (currently around £470). If you are under 22, or earn under the set amount, you can still ask to join the scheme but NG Healthcare doesn’t make any contributions for you. Once you are enrolled to the pension scheme – both you and the Company will pay a percentage of your salary into the scheme each year – around 3% - over a certain amount (currently over the first £5,000 or your earnings). You have rights to opt out of the scheme and back in again every few years. Workplace Pensions are subject to Government changes and are operated by an independent pension provider – you will receive a pension’s booklet as a part of your Induction materials and should you require further information this is available from the Payroll Dpt.

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Your Holidays

• Your Holiday Entitlement and how to Book

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Your Holidays

What is my paid holiday entitlement? All staff are entitled to paid holiday from the day they start to work for NG Healthcare and our holiday year runs from 1 st April to 31 st March the following year. Holiday entitlement is accrued each month, for example most full time members of staff accrue about 1.7 days holiday each month. You should aim to spread your holidays over the year to ensure you are accruing holiday as you take them. The maximum entitlement is 5.6 weeks (28 days) inclusive of bank holidays per holiday year, this is then pro- rata’d if you work part time as detailed in the examples below:

Number of days worked

Entitlement

5 days 4 days

28 days

22.5 days

3.5 days (i.e. 4 days one week 3 days the next)

20 days 17 days

3 days 2 days

11.5 days

This is then reduced if you start to work within the holiday year. For instance, if you started on the 1 st October your entitlement would be 50% of that shown in the table above. The entitlements shown include all bank holidays therefore if you work on a Bank Holiday it doesn’t affect your entitlement but if you take the Bank Holidays off as a holiday it is deducted from your entitlement. Remember! Any entitlement you fail to take by the end of the holiday year will be lost as it cannot be paid or carried over into the next holiday year.

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Your Holidays

How do I request my holidays? •

Holidays must be requested at least 8 weeks before commencement, your holiday request must be submitted via the Careblox Portal. • In periods when requests for holiday are high they will be granted in the order in which they are received, hence some requests may be refused. • Requests for holidays must be spread out over the holiday year as much as possible. • July and August are holiday hot posts and demand during this time is high – no more than one holiday request can be made during this period. • The period 20 th December to 2 nd January is subject to special provisions and nobody will be granted requests for both the Christmas and New Year Periods and you will be expected to work your normal shift pattern for these days and we are unable to grant any holidays during this time. For some office staff and unit managers who work a Monday to Friday shift pattern some holiday requests may be granted. In some cases office staff may be required to take some of their holiday entitlement over this period.

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Your Holidays

• Your holiday requests will be granted/declined on the Careblox System. Once you have submitted your annual leave request you must check if it has been accepted or declined and not presume that your request has been automatically accepted.

What if I want to request holidays that I have not accrued?

• If you request holidays before you have accrued them and they are granted, they will be granted as ‘deferred paid holiday’. This means you will not receive any payment at the time you take them and they will be paid either at the end of the holiday year or when you leave employment if the holiday has been accrued by this time.

What if I want to change my booked holidays?

Holidays are not usually changeable, so you should plan ahead and consider your request carefully. However, there are some reasons when you may be able to change your requested holidays as follows: Exceptional Personal Circumstances You can apply to change under this heading but you must show exceptional circumstances that have stopped you taking your holiday, for instance, bereavement, illness etc at the time of the intended holiday. The request is to be made to your unit manager and the decision is discretionary. •

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Your Holidays

• Pregnancy There is an automatic right to change your holidays if you are pregnant, a form is available from your unit manager for this and generally any holiday that was granted during a period that will now be covered by maternity leave will be added to the beginning or end of the maternity leave. • Swopping with another staff member on your unit You can apply to swop your holiday with another member of staff subject to: o It must be a member of staff who works on your unit in the same capacity as you or in your area of work. o It must be an identical swop (i.e. 4 days for 4 days not different amounts) although it can be for more than one holiday period if requested at the same time (i.e. 4 days in May and 6 days in June swopped for 4 days in Sept and 6 days in Oct). o All holidays involved in the swop must commence no sooner than 8 weeks after the date that the swop was applied for. o You can only apply to do this one in any one holiday year and it is discretionary. What if I commence work after 1 st April? New starters will be told how much holiday entitlement they have in the current holiday year as a part of their induction, they will be provided with the request form and then must request all their entitlement for the coming year.

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Your Holidays

Christmas and New Year working Here at NG Healthcare we run a special bonus scheme during this period, details of the scheme vary from year to year and you will receive information about this during early December. The bonus is paid to all staff who complete ALL their allocated shifts during the period December 24 th to 2 nd January and is paid with the January payroll.

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Information & Communication

• How we communicate together

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Information & Communication

Communication at NG Healthcare is key. We use a wide variety of channels to communicate with all levels of staff, ensuring you are given the right information at the right time, helping you to do your job. Staff Digital Display In the staff room you will find a large digital screen where you will find general and HR information, announcements, job vacancies and news. Digital Information On each nurse base computer you can access key information such as all policies and procedures relating to HR, the working environment and health and safety. You can also find hard copies of policies and procedures in designated folders along with a copy of the staff handbook. All HR policies and procedures, important forms and the staff handbook can also be found on your careblox portal under the ‘documents’ section. Information via the clocking terminal From time to time additional information is sent out via the clocking terminal. Staff Meetings Morning meetings are held daily with a representative from each unit/service present. If you think there is something that should be raised at this meeting please inform your line manager. Staff meetings are held across the NG Healthcare site; the frequency and format of these will vary according to different Managers - please check on your unit. In addition, Unit Manager and Heads of Service Meetings are held bi-weekly. NG Healthcare News Periodically, a staff and resident newsletter is produced. All staff are encouraged to contribute to the production of this. P a g e | 37 We send communications via text to your personal mobile phone or emails to your personal email address too.

Your Attendance

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Your Attendance

There may be times when you are not able to come into work, possibly due to sickness or a family emergency. This section outlines what you need to do in these situations. If you are absent from work we will always try to provide support in times of genuine need. Absence does put your colleagues under pressure and affects the quality of service we are all able to provide to our residents. Our procedures are therefore designed to provide you with the support you need whilst minimising the disruption absence can cause.

Sickness Absence

What should I do if I am unable to come into work due to sickness?

Telephone the absence reporting hotline number 07487 894980 as soon as you know that you will not be attending work and in line with the following reporting timescales:

Shift

Deadline to Report Absence By 12 noon on the same day

Night/Twilight

Day Shift By 7pm the day before Note: Calls after these times will result in the employee being considered as unauthorised absence.

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Your Attendance

Employees who do not notify absence via the absence hotline number on the first day of their absence will be considered to have taken unauthorised absence and may be subject to disciplinary action. Notification must be made by telephone. If the hotline telephone is unanswered a voicemail message must be left to include your name, unit, shift and contact telephone number, you will then receive a call back within 1 hour. It is not acceptable to send an email, text or leave a message with a colleague. In exceptional circumstances, e.g. hospitalisation, you must arrange for someone to contact the absence hotline number on your behalf. Once you are able to, you should telephone directly. Do I need to provide a fit note for my sickness? No matter how short your period of sickness, it must be covered by either a self- certificate and/or doctor's medical certificate (“Fit Note”). For the first 7 consecutive days or less of absence (including weekends and bank holidays), you must complete a self-certificate. You will complete this with your line manager at your return to work interview. For an absence that lasts for 7 or more consecutive days (including weekends and bank holidays), you must consult your GP and obtain a fit note. You must send this to the HR Department as soon as possible.

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Your Attendance

Consecutive certificates must be submitted on the day after expiry of the previous certificate, therefore you must arrange an appointment to see your doctor before or on the day the medical certificate expires. To ensure the prompt and correct payment of contractual / statutory sick pay, a certificate must be provided for every absence. Failure to do this may result in the loss of sickness payments.

Misleading or false statements will be dealt with through the disciplinary procedure.

What should I do when I am well enough to return to work? You must report via the absence hotline number your confirmed return to work date. If you do not report your return to work date you will be sent home without pay if you arrive for work and your shift has been covered. On your first day back at work you should report to your line manager before you begin work in order for a return to work meeting to be conducted. This will look at the reasons you were off sick, your sickness record in the previous 12 months and if there are any trends in your absence pattern. If there is any concern regarding your absence record you will be invited by HR to attend an absence review meeting. For persistent absence formal disciplinary action will be instigated and this may lead to dismissal.

Please note: for cases of D&V you are unable to return back to work until you have been symptom free for 48 hours.

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Your Attendance

Do I get paid when I am absent due to sickness? The first 3 days of any sickness period are waiting days and you will not receive any payment. After this period most people qualify for statutory sick pay (SSP), the payroll department will be able to provide you with details of the current rates of SSP, qualifying conditions, length of payments etc as these are subject to change from time to time. Salaried staff may be entitled to their full pay during periods of sickness. This will depend on the individual conditions as contained in their terms and conditions of employment. Sickness and dismissal Generally you would not face dismissal as a result of having time off due to sickness that is genuinely unavoidable. However there are exceptions to this: • Repeated failure to call our absence hotline number This will be treated as misconduct and falls under our disciplinary procedure and may lead to dismissal • Falsifying sickness Falsifying sickness, or the length of the time off sick, will almost certainly be seen as gross misconduct and may lead to dismissal without notice • Repeated and persistent time off sick Persistent time of sick over a period of time and frequent days taken here and there may lead to dismissal. • Serious Illness Should your sickness render you incapable for work for a considerable period of time and, having kept in touch with you and your doctor, it may be reasonable for the company to conclude that your incapacity will leave you unable to re commence the job in which you were employed. No decision will be made without obtaining a full medical record from the GP or other practitioner.

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Your Attendance

• Illness linked to a pre-existing condition not disclosed Illness for a prolonged or repeated period of time due to a condition that you knew existed at the time that you applied for employment may lead to dismissal. • General unfitness for work Should you general state of health give cause for concern as to your ability to perform the tasks that you are required to undertake, or in undertaking those tasks there is concern that you state of health is being put at risk, we may require you to undertake a medical examination. This could lead to dismissal on the ground of unfitness to work. Annual leave accrual during sickness absence Your annual leave entitlement will continue to accrue during sickness absence (public holidays are not accrued). On returning from a period of absence, you should make every effort to use your entitlement prior to the end of the current holiday year. Sickness during holidays If you fall ill during the course of your annual leave this is not regarded as being on sick leave and it will not normally be possible to re-credit your holiday. In exceptional circumstances at the discretion of Senior Management, days may be reaccredited if they are covered by a GP’s medical certificate and where your illness is not related to your holiday.

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Your Attendance

Dependency Leave

There may be occasions when you need time off at short notice to deal with an emergency in your personal life. Where possible, we will try to accommodate request for time off to look after sick children, relatives or home emergencies. Where possible, you should try to make arrangements to prevent such a need recurring, for example by making arrangements for emergency childcare. If you continue to require time off for dependency reasons your manager will discuss the situation with you. Any agreed dependency leave is taken as unpaid leave.

Other Reasons for Absence

Compassionate Leave In certain circumstances we may grant you time off as compassionate leave to deal with the death or serious illness of a close relative. If you think that you may need such leave, you should discuss this with your line manager as soon as you are aware you may need it. Any leave granted will normally be on an unpaid basis.

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Your Attendance

Jury Service Please let you manager know as soon as possible if you are called for Jury Service as they will be able to help you make the necessary arrangements. Make sure you claim for loss of earnings from the court as this type of leave is unpaid. Sabbatical You may request unpaid sabbatical leave to cover extended travel arrangements that are unavoidable. Please speak with you Line Manager as far in advance as possible.

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Your Family Friendly Rights • Maternity, Paternity & Adoption Leave • Shared Paternity Leave • Flexible Working

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Your Family Friendly Rights

Maternity Leave

Who is eligible for Maternity Leave

• All pregnant employees are entitled to take 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) regardless of length of service.

• Employees will qualify for 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave (AML) if they have at least 26 weeks service 15 weeks prior to the expected week of confinement. • An employee who becomes sick with pregnancy related illness any day after the 4 th week before her expected week of confinement will trigger maternity leave.

What is the eligibility for Maternity Pay

• You must have worked continuously for 26 weeks or more; the 26 weeks are counted from the 15 weeks before the baby is due. Therefore if you count back 15 seeks from the date when the baby is due and if you have been working for 26 weeks or more at that point you qualify.

• You must earn more than the lower earning limited for the current year as advised by the Inland Revenue.

• You are entitled to 39 week of paid statutory maternity leave.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

What is the amount paid during Maternity Leave?

• You receive 90% of your average weekly pay for the first 6 weeks and then either 90% of your average weekly pay or the current amount as stated by the Inland Revenue for the current year, whichever is the lover – for the next 33 weeks.

• The remaining 13 weeks is then unpaid maternity leave.

How do I request Maternity Leave?

• Please inform your manager with at least 28 days ’ notice of your intended maternity leave start date.

• Provide your MATB1 form, which is provided to you by your Midwife/GP, to the payroll department. Without this you will not receive any Statutory Maternity Pay. • Keep in touch! Whilst away you are still a full member of staff and bound by your terms of employment and you still accrue holiday pay etc. You are also entitled to 10 paid keeping in touch days during your maternity leave.

Returning to work following Maternity Leave

• You must provide us with at least 28 days ’ notice of your intention to return to work.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

Paternity Leave

Who qualifies for Paternity Leave?

Paternity leave is available to employees who:

• have or expect to have responsibility for the child's upbringing

• are the biological father of the child or the mother's husband or partner (including same sex relationships) • have worked continuously for their employer for 26 weeks ending with the 15th week before the baby is due, or the end of the week in which the child's adopter is notified of being matched with the child (UK adoption), or the date the child enters the UK (overseas adoptions).

What is the entitlement?

Two consecutive weeks of paid statutory paternity pay is paid as stated by the Inland Revenue for the current year per week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is the lower.

When can Paternity Leave commence?

You should tell your line manager as possible if you wish to take paternity leave, but no later than the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

You need to advise when the baby is due, if you're going to take one or two weeks off, and when you expect the paternity leave to start. Those who are eligible can choose to take either one week or two consecutive weeks' paid paternity leave (not odd days). Employees will need to take their paternity leave within 56 days of the actual date of birth of the child. Paternity leave can't start until the birth of the baby; employees may be able to take some annual leave before.

A period of Paternity leave when adopting a child can start:

On the date of placement.

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• An agreed number of days after the date of placement. • On the date the child arrives in the UK or an agreed number of days after (for overseas adoption). • The day the child is born or the day after for surrogate parents.

Shared Parental Leave

What is Shared Parental Leave? Shared Parental Leave enables eligible parents to choose how to share the care of their child during the first year of birth or adoption. Its purpose is to give parents more flexibility in considering how to best care for, and bond with, their child. All eligible employees have a statutory right to take Shared Parental Leave.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

Who qualifies for Shared Parental Leave? •

You must be the mother/adopter and one of the following: o The father of the child (in the case of birth) or o The spouse, civil part ner or partner of the child’s mother/adopter o Both parents must share the main responsibility for the care of the child at the time of the birth/placement for adoption • The mother/adopter of the child must be/have been entitled to statutory maternity/adoption leave or if not entitled to statutory maternity/adoption leave they must be/have been entitled to statutory maternity adoption pay or maternity allowance and must have ended or given notice to reduce any maternity/adoption entitlements. • You must pass the ‘continuity test’ requiring you to have a minimum of 26 weeks service at the end of the 15 th week before the child ’ s expected due/matching date. • Your part ner must meet the ‘employment and earnings test’ requiring them in the 66 weeks leading up to the child ’ s expected due date/matching date have worked for at least 26 weeks and earned an average of at least £30 per week in any 13 of those weeks. • You must still be working for the business at the start of each period of shared parental leave.

• You must correctly notify us of their entitlement and provide evidence as required.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

What is the entitlement? Eligible employees may be entitled to take up to 50 weeks shared parental leave dur ing the child’s first year in their family. The number of weeks available is calculated using the mother’s/adopter’s entitlement to maternity/adoption leave, which allows them to take up to 52 weeks leave. If they reduce their maternity maternity/adoption leave entitlement then they and/or their partner may opt-in to the shared parental leave system and take any remaining weeks as shared parental leave. Eligible employees may be entitled to take up to 37 weeks statutory shared parental pay while taking shared parental leave. The amount of weeks available will depend on the amount by which the mother/adopter reduces their maternity/adoption pay period or maternity allowance period.

Adoption Leave

Who qualifies for Adoption Leave?

• Couples who have children under the age of 18 placed with them for adoption. One of them will be able to elect themselves eligible to take Adoption Leave (the other may qualify for Shared Parental Leave – see pages 51-52)

• You must have completed 26 weeks of continuous service before notifying your intention to take Adoption Leave.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

What is the entitlement?

You are entitled to take up to 12 months Adoption Leave. The first 26 weeks is paid at the standard rate of Statutory Maternity pay. The remaining 26 weeks is unpaid.

How does it work?

As much notice that is reasonable in the circumstances should be given; as a rule at least 28 days notice will be required. A minimum of 28 days notice is required of your intention to return to work.

Flexible Working

Who qualifies for Flexible Working?

All employees who have completed at least 26 weeks continuous service are eligible to request flexible working.

What is the entitlement?

Eligible employees can request changes to be made in their hours/pattern of working.

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If your request is granted any changes to your work becomes a change to your Terms and Conditions of employment therefore there is no right to revert back to the previous working hours/pattern etc.

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Your Family Friendly Rights

How does it work?

The request can be made by completing a flexible working request form and submitting to HR. You must fill out all sections of the form and state how such changes might help with your responsibilities and how this may affect your team. You can find the flexible working form on the Careblox portal under the documents section. A meeting will then be held with you to discuss the request within 28 days, and a written decision on the request will be granted within 14 days thereafter

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Refusal of such a request will state the grounds for the refusal and state the procedure for appeal.

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Your Conduct & Responsibilities • Individual Responsibilities at Work • Raising your Concerns • Solving Problems – Grievance and Disciplinary

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Your Conduct and Responsibilities

Individual Responsibilities at Work

In order to provide high quality care to our residents and to provide an enjoyable working environment for our staff it is important that we behave in accordance with our values. Following our policies and best practice, and always acting within the law, will help ensure we do the best for our residents and each other.

Raising your Concerns

If you believe that a colleague has acted inappropriately it is your responsibility to raise a concern. You can do this in the first instance by having an open, transparent and confidential meeting with your Unit Manager.

Solving Problems

Here at NG Healthcare we promote ‘treati ng others how you would like to be treated’ and respecting each other. We do know that from time to time you may need help to solve problems at work. In most cases, Managers will be able to help with problems informally, by listening and discussing them with you and exploring possible alternative solutions so if you have an issue, please talk to your Unit Manager in the first instance. However, if it is not possible to resolve problems informally there is also a formal process which is outlined in our disciplinary and grievance policies and procedures which can be found in the HR policy folder on your unit base. All of our staff have the right to representation at every disciplinary and grievance meeting, either by a recognised union representative or work colleague.

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