The Company
This statement applies to GP Homecare Ltd t/a Radis Community Care (referred to in this statement as ‘Radis’). The information included in the statement refers to the financial year to 31st August 2020.
Organisational structure
Radis is a provider of community based social care and support, for vulnerable adults and children, in England and Wales. We support many thousands of people to live independently in their own homes, providing a wide range of care and support services, for people with diverse backgrounds and needs.
We employ more than 2,200 people including care workers, nurses and support staff. The labour supplied to Radis in pursuance of its operation is carried wholly carried out within the United Kingdom, in England and Wales.
Definitions
Radis considers that modern slavery encompasses:
- human trafficking
- forced work, through mental or physical threat
- being owned or controlled by an employer through mental or physical abuse of the threat of abuse
- being dehumanised, treated as a commodity or being bought or sold as property
- being physically constrained or to have restriction placed on freedom of movement.
Commitment
Radis acknowledges its responsibilities in relation to tackling modern slavery and commits to complying with the provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Company understands that this requires an ongoing review of both its internal practices in relation to its workforce and it’s supply chains.
Radis does not enter into business with any other organisation, in the United Kingdom or abroad, which knowingly supports or is found to involve itself in slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
No labour provided to the Company in the pursuance of the provision of its own services is obtained by means of slavery or human trafficking. The organisation strictly adheres to the minimum standards required in relation to its responsibilities under relevant employment legislation.
Supply chains
Radis is a ‘people’ business. Every minute of care we deliver involves members of staff and a Service User. As this is the core of our business we have a very limited number of supply chains. Our suppliers are based in the United Kingdom and supply protective equipment, uniforms, telecommunications, software, stationery vehicles and a number of other services. We understand that our first-tier suppliers are intermediary traders and they therefore have further contractual relationships with lower-tier suppliers.
Potential exposure
The organisation considers its main exposure to the risk of slavery and human trafficking to exist in the lower-tiers suppliers in our supply chains because they are likely to involve the provision of labour in countries where protection against breaches of human rights may be limited.
In general, the Organisation considers its exposure to slavery/human trafficking to be relatively limited.
Impact of COVID-19
During the reporting period covered by this statement, the COVID-19 pandemic had taken hold. For several months, the UK was placed into lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. This created several challenges for Radis, as it did for others across the nation.
Radis welcomes the UK Government’s decision, as confirmed in April 2020, to allow for a delay of up to 6 months in the publication of modern slavery statements without the risk of facing penalty.
Despite the permitted, delay, the Organisation remains in a position to publish its statement for the financial year 2019/2020 in line with the original publishing requirements.
The Company concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic did not adjust the risk of modern slavery to a level above that which existed before the pandemic, which is as set out under ‘POTENTIAL EXPOSURE’ above.
We were reliant on additional supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from a range of new suppliers including Local Government and third parties we had not previously engaged with.
During the pandemic, the organisation’s employees still had access to the grievance procedure to raise any concerns that they may have had.
In line with emergency legislation passed by the Government, employees have been paid Statutory Sick Pay during periods of self-isolation where it has not been possible to agree a temporary period of homeworking.
The organisation’s modern slavery risks were subject to the same monitoring procedures during the pandemic as at all other times.
Steps
The Company carries out due diligence processes in relation to ensuring slavery and/or human trafficking does not take place in its organisation or supply chains.
The organisation has not, to its knowledge, conducted any business with another organisation which has been found to have involved itself with modern slavery.
In accordance with section 54(4) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Organisation has begun to take the following steps to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place:
- reviewing our supplier contracts to include termination powers in the event that the supplier is, or is suspected, to be involved in modern slavery
- putting measures in place to identify and assess the potential risks in our supply chains
- creating action plans to address risk to modern slavery
- providing training to managers on modern slavery.
Key performance indicators
The Company has set the following key performance indicators to measure its effectiveness in ensuring modern slavery is not taking place in the organisation or its supply chains.
- requiring all staff involved in recruitment and or supply chain management to have completed training on modern slavery by 31st August 2021;
- developing a system for supply chain verification 31st August 2021, whereby the organisation evaluates potential suppliers before they enter the supply chain; and
- reviewing its existing supply chains expected to be completed by 31st August 2021, whereby the organisation evaluates all existing suppliers.
Policies
The Organisation has the following policies which further define its stance on modern slavery:
- Whistleblowing Policy The organisation encourages all its workers, Service Users, and other business partners to report any concerns related to the direct activities, or the supply chains of, the organisation. The organisation’s whistleblowing procedure is designed to make it easy for workers to make disclosures, without fear of retaliation.
- Code of Conduct The organisation’s code makes clear to employees the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the organisation. The organisation strives to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behaviour when operating abroad and managing its supply chain.
- Suppliers and Purchasing Policy The organisation is committed to ensuring that its suppliers adhere to the highest standards of ethics. Suppliers are required to demonstrate that they provide safe working conditions where necessary, treat workers with dignity and respect, and act ethically and within the law in their use of labour. Serious violations of the organisation’s supplier code of conduct will lead to the termination of the business relationship.
- Recruitment and Selection of Staff Policy Radis directly recruits the majority of our staff and carries out appropriate pre-employment checks. Where recruitment agencies and businesses are used, we only use reputable agencies. For temporary staffing we require agencies to provide evidence of the checks they have made to verify workers identity and right to work. Where agencies are used to source potential employees, Radis carries out its own pre-employment checks.
- Corporate Social Responsibility Policy (CSR) Radis is an ethical, responsible and socially responsible organisation. Th CSR policy explains how our Company Values underpin the way that we operate. Particularly relevant when discussing modern slavery are our values of social responsibility and valuing people.
Slavery Compliance Officer
The Organisation has a Slavery Compliance Officer, to whom all concerns regarding modern slavery should be addressed, and who will then undertake relevant action with regard to the Company’s obligations.
This statement is made in pursuance of Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and will be reviewed for each financial year.
HELEN LAZENBY
HEAD OF HR
15/04/2021
