Good Employment and Business Practice
Good Employment and Business Practice points south on our Real Care Deal compass.
Extract from our video archives
Below is an extract from one of our stories that features in the archives; this is Jack discussing what good business practice means to him.
Good Employment and Business Practice Principles
PRINCIPLE: We will follow our values to make sure our people have good experiences.
- We want people to have positive experiences. We will follow our values.
- We will look at how we hire staff. We want people with the right values and behaviours.
- We will help our staff talk with the people they support. We want to design and review services based on what matters to them.
PRINCIPLE: Fair staff pay and timely payment to providers for services delivered
As a system we will commit to increasing the pay element built into our cost models to be above the National Minimum/National Living Wage rate.
We will continue to lobby Government for funding to deliver parity of social care pay rates with the NHS.
Providers should expect to receive payment in a timely way and have issues dealt with quickly.
PRINCIPLE: Skilled, Confident, and Competent Staff
PRINCIPLE: Good Management of Staff
- We will listen to staff ideas on improving services and work with them to make changes.
- Managers will be visible and listen to people receiving care. They will work with them to make any needed changes.
- We will involve people receiving care when we interview new staff.
- We will give new staff a clear induction and explain our values and behaviours.
- We will provide good supervision and mentoring for all staff.
- We will have a clear appraisal system to record staff achievements.
- We will involve people receiving care, or their advocates, in staff appraisals.
- We will create an environment that helps staff have ambition and aspiration.
Keeping care and support local
The Safeguarding Adult Review recommendations said that there should be more focus on using smaller companies when choosing service providers.
This is because:
- Public service commissioners often choose a few big companies with strong contracting systems, but which are not always the best ones to deliver services.
- Smaller companies have a lot of local knowledge about the issues affecting people in their area.
- These smaller organisations can help small, isolated communities or groups with specific needs.
PRINCIPLE: Ensuring fair competition
- We want all providers, big and small, to compete fairly for new work.
- We will give plenty of notice of upcoming tenders. This gives smaller providers time to prepare their bids.
PRINCIPLE: Thinking outside the box
- We will trust providers to try new ideas.
- We will talk with providers about how to improve our commissioning.
PRINCIPLE: Regional management in Norfolk
- National organisations must have strong local management in Norfolk.
- We will ask them to show proof of this management.
Tax Compliance
The names of the people or companies that own the businesses delivering public services should be public.
Private companies that get contracts must show that they are based in the UK and follow UK tax laws.
PRINCIPLE: We will only work with companies in the UK. Those companies must pay taxes in the UK.
For all new services:
- Companies bidding must be based in the UK.
- They must pay taxes in the UK.
For current services:
- We will update our contracts.
- Existing providers must confirm they are UK companies.
- They must pay taxes in the UK.
