The Trust’s policy on standards of business conduct has been revised, so please familiarise yourself with how this covers interests, gifts, hospitality, sponsorship, advertising and partnership arrangements.
- Declaration of interests – all business/financial interests which are relevant or linked in some way to the Trust, for example ownership or part-ownership of a company seeking to do business with the NHS, must be declared on the declaration of interests form within the policy.
- Gifts – all gifts from and to commercial third parties must be declared to avoid possible accusations of bribery. These must be declared on the declaration of gifts and hospitality form in the policy. Small gifts from patients need not be formally declared but your line manager must be informed.
- Hospitality – any event, service or entertainment provided and paid for by a third party should be declared on the declaration of gifts and hospitality form in advance. For further information please consult the summary guidance on acceptability of gifts and hospitality contained in the policy.
- Sponsorship, advertising and partnership arrangements – as a general rule, sponsorship, advertising or partnership arrangements involving the Trust should be at a corporate rather than an individual level. The policy outlines all relevant statutory legislation and good practice guidance that must be adhered to ensure transparency across the organisation and that there are no conflicts of interest. A commercial sponsorship / advertising / partnership approval request form, which can be found in the policy, must be completed and sent to the CEO for consideration.
The policy can be viewed on the Trust website.
Published 17th July 2015
