Modern Slavery Policy

1. Introduction

Modern slavery is a crime and violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

2. Our Legal Requirements

Certain commercial organisations must publish an annual statement setting out the steps they take to prevent modern slavery in their business and their supply chains. This is a requirement under section 54 (Transparency in Supply Chains) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

A commercial organisation is required to publish an annual statement if all the criteria below apply:

  • it is a ‘body corporate’ or a partnership, wherever incorporated or formed
  • it carries on a business, or part of a business, in the UK
  • it supplies goods or services
  • it has an annual turnover of £36 million or more

Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/publish-an-annual-modern-slavery-statement

Una Health is a SME, with an annual turnover of less than £36 million, and as such does not at this time need to publish an annual statement. However, we are aware of our obligations, both legally and ethically and this will remain under constant review.

3. Our Policy on Slavery & Human Trafficking

Una Health has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity on all our business dealings and relationships. We expect the same high standard from all of our contractors, suppliers and other business partners. We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or any part of our business.

This policy applies to all persons working for us on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, agency workers, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners.

4. Risk Mitigation

As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate risk we have in place:

Human Resource procedures

  • We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all directly employed staff, and agency workers, to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
  • A comprehensive range of policies and practices have been applied, which are included in our Company Handbook, which is distributed on staff induction. This document includes Una Health’s Culture Guide, Equal Opportunities policy, formal grievance & disciplinary procedure in order to protect and ensure that employee rights and responsibilities are upheld.
  • Safeguards are in place with regard to pay to ensure that the hourly rate of employees does not fall below the Living Wage
  • All employees are given access to training and development opportunities, including e-learning on Modern Slavery.
  • The Una Health culture encourages an open and honest environment in order that all employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues or people receiving our services are being treated, or about practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.

Procurement procedures

  • We engage with our supplier base
  • We identify and monitor potential risk of slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains
  • Incorporate within the tender process to address slavery and human trafficking with potential new suppliers.