McKenzie Group Practice – Staff Handbook
CONTENTS
Foreword
Section 1 – General Terms & Conditions of Service for Employees
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Contract of Employment
1.3 Appearance and Conduct
1.4 Cars and Transport
1.5 Convictions/Offences
1.6 Data Protection and Personal Circumstances
1.7 Leave & Authorised Absence
1.7.1 Annual/Holiday Leave
1.7.2 Dependant Leave
1.7.3 Parental Leave
1.7.4 Compassionate
1.7.5 Special Leave
1.7.6 Unpaid Leave
1.8 Pay
1.8.1 Grades & Rates of Pay
1.8.2 Income Tax
1.8.3 National Insurance Contributions
1.8.4 Overtime
1.8.5 Statutory Sick Pay
1.8.6 Employer Sick Pay
1.9 Maternity
1.10 Medical/Hospital Appointments
1.11 Outside Activities
1.12 Practice Staff/Team Meetings
1.13 Professional Registration
1.14 Retirement
1.15 Sickness
1.16 Staff Appraisal & Performance
1.17 Staff as patients
1.18 Termination of Employment
1.19 Time-keeping, time-off and Unauthorised Absence
1.20 Trade Union Membership
1.21 Training & Study Leave
1.22 Working-time Regulations
Section 2 – General Rules and Provisions
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Accidents and First Aid
2.3 AIDS/HIV
2.4 Alcohol at Work
2.5 Bullying & Harassment
2.6 Car Parking
2.7 Confidentiality
2.8 Conduct and Disciplinary Matters
2.9 Discrimination and Equal Opportunities
2.10 Employer’s Liability
2.11 Grievances
2.12 Health and Safety at Work
2.13 Misuse of Drugs
2.14 Occupational Health Service
2.15 Personal Property
2.16 Personal Gifts
2.17 Personal Relationships at Work
2.18 Product Liability
2.19 Security
2.20 Security of IT Equipment & Data
2.21 Smoking at Work
2.22 Staff Common Room
2.23 Telephones
2.24 Work Protocols & Procedures
Appendices:
1. Confidentiality
2. Disciplinary Procedure
3. Grievance Procedure
4. Computer, Internet and Email Usage Policy
Foreword
Welcome to McKenzie Group Practice.
Whether you are an employee of the practice or someone who works here, this Handbook has been designed to guide you through some of the rules that are part of your working life at the surgery.
The information it contains will be reviewed from time to time to reflect changes in statutory legislation and any suggested changes should be put to the Practice Manager for consideration.
Section 1 contains information for Practice employees only and refers to their terms of employment.
Section 2 contains information for everyone who works at the Practice.
We ask that you read, note and abide by the information in the relevant sections. If you are unsure about any terms and conditions of service in this Handbook you are advised to seek clarification and further explanation from the Practice Manager as failure to observe them may result in disciplinary action.
Working in a busy practice puts you in a special position of trust and responsibility. These terms and conditions of service are for your own and the patients' protection. Your attitude to patients and the impression you make are of prime importance to the tone of the practice as a whole. We wish to provide a courteous and caring service to our patients at all times.
Section 1 – General Terms and Conditions of Service for Practice Employees
1.1 Introduction
The information in this Section supplements the agreements set out in your terms and conditions of employment and forms part of your contract of employment. You should also read Section 2 of this Handbook which affects everyone who works at the Practice.
The information will be reviewed from time to time in the light of changes in employment law and best practice. You will be consulted about any changes which affect your terms of employment, and any changes to your terms and conditions of employment will be confirmed in writing.
If you have any questions about any of the information in this Handbook, contact the Practice Manager.
[Note: some of the information below may be incorporated directly in employees’ contracts, or the contracts may reference this section of the Handbook].
1.2 Contract of employment
On completion of a probationary period you will receive a written contract of employment relating to your particular job. When signed, it forms a legally-binding agreement between yourself and your employer.
Although you have been given a designated job title and specific duties (as detailed in your job description), you may be asked to undertake other duties which are reasonably required of you.
1.3 Appearance and Conduct
Whether dealing with patients, their relatives, or other members of the public, please remember that you are in the public eye and the patients' impression of the practice depends on you. It is important, therefore, that your conduct is of a high standard and that your appearance is clean and smart at all times.
The practice has provided uniforms for staff in order to present a smart and professional image to its patients. Your uniform should be kept clean, tidy and in good repair and worn at all times when on duty. Laundering is your responsibility. The practice will provide replacement items when necessary.
The identification badge provided by the practice, giving your name and job title, must always be worn while on duty.
1.4 Cars and transport
Should you be required to travel within and outside the practice area on Practice business. You will be paid mileage allowance for all practice mileage undertaken in your private motor vehicle at the appropriate rates payable under the practice mileage scheme. The practice manager will inform you of the prevailing rates. [This does not include travelling to and from your designated place of work].
1.5 Convictions/Offences
This employment is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. You are not therefore entitled to withhold information requested by the partners about any previous convictions you may have, even if in other circumstances these would be regarded as 'spent' under the Act. You are therefore required to provide this information before starting work. Concealment of such information may result in your dismissal.
If you are charged with, or convicted of, a criminal offence whilst you are employed by the Practice you must notify the Practice Manager immediately. The Practice reserves the right to dismiss you if the Practice considers that the offence is one that makes you unsuitable for your work.
1.6 Data Protection
As part of your terms and conditions of employment/terms of working at the Practice, you give the Practice permission to collect, retain and process information about you, such as age, sex, sickness records and ethnic origin. This information will only be used so that we can monitor our compliance with the law and best practice in terms of equal opportunity and non-discrimination. The information that we hold will be checked with you from time to time to ensure that it remains up to date. Should your personal circumstances change (e.g. change of bank account, home address, next of kin, marital status, emergency contact details), you should notify the Practice Manager immediately.
1.7 Leave & Authorised Absence
1.7.1 Annual (or Holiday) Leave
You have a statutory right to a minimum of 4 weeks paid holiday per year (pro rata). Your actual holiday entitlement will be included in your contract of employment. This holiday entitlement may be increased to 5 weeks on completion of five full year’s service or at the Practice’s discretion.
The leave year runs from 1st January to 31st December. Leave must be taken by the end of the calendar year and may not be accrued from year to year unless by prior arrangement. If you start or leave employment part way through a leave year your entitlement will be calculated pro rata at 1/12th of a full year’s entitlement for each month of completed service.
It is preferred that all leave is taken in multiples of one week, however, one week may be broken down into single or multiple days if desired.
Requests for holiday leave should be made on your holiday record sheet and passed to your supervisor for approval and to the Assistant Manager for recording. Once approved and recorded the form will be returned to you for retention as a record of leave taken.
To maintain minimum staffing levels only ONE member of each team may be away at any one time (e.g. Only one member of the Data Team may be away at any one time. Only one secretary may be away at any one time, etc.)
In the interest of fairness, to allow employees with young children to take holidays during school holiday periods, the early booking of holidays etc, staff will be allowed to submit applications for their first two weeks holiday in October for the following year, the second two weeks may be submitted in January. Employees who are entitled to 5 weeks holiday will not be permitted to submit their fifth week until everyone else has booked their four weeks.
Staff who normally work on a Monday or Friday and who take a period of leave which includes a public bank holiday, may take a day in lieu (but only with prior approval of the practice manager).
If you are on long term sick leave your holiday entitlement will continue to accrue until your entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay/Practice Sick Pay comes to an end, at which point holiday will cease to accrue.
1.7.2 Dependant Leave.
You have the statutory right to take reasonable unpaid periods of time off work to deal with emergencies involving a dependant of yours. This can include your spouse or partner, a child or parent or other relative who is a member of your household. Examples of the circumstances in which this leave might be taken are serious illness, death, an unavoidable and unforeseen failure in care arrangements, the birth of a child to your spouse or partner, and incidents involving your child during school hours.
You must discuss any requests with the practice manager and obtain approval before taking the leave. If this is not possible, owing either to the nature of the emergency or the lack of availability of those from whom approval must be sought or both, you must inform the practice manager as soon as possible that you have taken the leave and its precise duration.
Dependant leave in general is expected to last no longer than is reasonably necessary to deal with the emergency arising. Longer term arrangements must be the subject of separate agreement between you and the practice manager
You hereby agree that an appropriate deduction from your pay may be made by the practice for any periods of such leave.
[See also Compassionate Leave]
1.7.3 Parental leave
Parental Leave is a right for parents to take time off work to look after a child or make arrangements for a child’s welfare. Parents can use it to spend more time with children and strike a better balance between their work and family commitments.
Subject to your having completed one year's service with the practice, you have a statutory entitlement to 13 weeks unpaid parental leave to care for a child. There is a separate 13-week entitlement in respect of each of your children, whether natural or adopted, for whom you have legal responsibility. Any parental leave granted by any previous employer will be subtracted from the 13 weeks total for the child concerned. You will be required to produce any documentary evidence of previous leave granted. You hereby consent to the practice seeking confirmation from any previous employer of whether any such leave has been granted to you, and if so, in what amounts.
The right is separate (in the case of female employees) from their rights to ordinary and additional maternity leave.
Subject to the terms of the statutory 'default provisions' leave may be taken at any time: up until the child's fifth birthday in adoption cases, for five years after the child is first placed with the family for adoption (or until the child's 18th birthday if sooner) for a child with a disability, up until his or her 18th birthday for the purposes of parental leave, a disabled child is defined as one to whom a disability living allowance has been awarded).
1.7.4 Compassionate Leave
Compassionate leave with pay may be granted to employees following the death of a close family member (e.g. spouse/partner, child, parent or sibling).
In the event of a bereavement:
· You should inform your immediate supervisor as soon as possible.
· Compassionate paid leave of up to one week may be granted, depending on the circumstances.
· Requests for compassionate paid leave in excess of one week in each year will not normally be granted.
· In exceptional circumstances, unpaid compassionate leave may be granted in addition to the one week compassionate leave.
· Any employee thought to be abusing this Policy will be investigated and the Disciplinary Procedure invoked if appropriate.
1.7.5 Special Leave
Special leave [with/without] pay may be granted at the partners' discretion. Examples of such leave might be public duties such as jury service or attendance at court as a witness. Requests for special leave should be submitted to the Practice Manager in the first instance. Such leave may be taken only when written approval has been given on behalf of the partners.
1.7.6 Unpaid Leave
Unpaid leave, other than dependant or parental leave, is normally granted only when the employee has exhausted his or her annual leave entitlement. This type of leave is discretionary and may be granted only in exceptional circumstances if and when the needs of the practice allow.
1.8 Pay
1.8.1 Grades and Rates of Pay.
The grades and pay bands for each post in the practice are determined by the partners and the practice manager. Within each grade/pay band salary is incremented in annual Steps and will cease at the top of each grade.
Details relating to your own pay and grading are in your initial terms and conditions letter/contract of employment.
Your pay will be reviewed annually (usually in April) and inflationary awards may be paid based upon national pay body recommendations.
1.8.2 Income tax.
Income tax payable by you is deducted at source, the precise amount depending on your personal circumstances and by application of your personal tax code number as advised by the local tax office. If this is your first job, you must contact your local tax office and obtain an income tax coding, so that you do not pay more income tax than is necessary. Details of tax paid are shown on your monthly pay statement and is summarised on your annual P60.