Modern Slavery Statement

Modern slavery refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot leave due to coercion, use of force, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means. It is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain and is a violation of fundamental human rights. Modern slavery is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide spectrum of crime, including:

• Slavery - ownership of another person as personal property
• Servitude - complete control over a person short of owning them
• Forced and compulsory labour - work performed involuntarily due to the threat of punishment
• Child labour - illegal or exploitative work performed by a child
• Human trafficking - movement of people without their consent for the purpose of exploiting them
• Bonded labour - forced work to repay a debt (GSTT Statement: Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act 2015 Annual Statement)

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) supports the Government’s objectives to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking and recognises the significant role the NHS has to play in both combatting it and supporting victims. Any identified concerns regarding Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking are escalated as part of the organisational safeguarding process. All members of staff have a personal responsibility for the successful prevention of slavery and human trafficking.

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and applies to Great Ormond St Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust.

All procurement and supply chains at GOSH are commissioned and managed by the Procurement Department, SmartTogether at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). GSTT have kindly agreed to the reference of their arrangements within this statement.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) is an acute paediatric provider of specialised and highly specialised treatment and care for children with rare and complex diseases and conditions.

Our vision, which sets our direction, is ‘helping children with complex health needs fulfil their potential’. Our mission is to put ‘the child first and always’. It is supported by our ‘Always Values’: always welcoming, always helpful, always expert and always one team.

At GOSH we provide over 60 different clinical specialist and sub-specialist paediatric health services. More than half of our patients are referred to us from outside London and a small proportion come from overseas.

The Trust has internal policies in place that assess, identify and respond to any concerns in relation to the potential for modern slavery or human trafficking.

The Trust’s Safeguarding Adults at risk of abuse or neglect policy outlines the responsibilities of staff to actively promote the health and well-being of adults at risk and to prevent harm wherever possible. It provides guidance to staff to enable them to know the different types of modern slavery as well the common indicators and address safeguarding concerns relating to adults.

Safeguarding Adults training is mandatory for all staff.

All staff have access to the Trust Safeguarding Service for support and guidance when they are concerned about modern day slavery or trafficking for children, young people and vulnerable adults.

The Trust has a Freedom to Speak Up Policy which details how staff can raise any concerns that they may have confidentially. This can be through a Freedom to Speak Up email or through a conversation with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, who will provide support to the individual raising a concern. Staff are provided with this information at corporate induction.

The Trust believes that every member of staff has a duty to raise concerns and promotes a number of ways in which this can be achieved - by the incident reporting system, talking to their line manager, speaking to the Freedom to Speak Up team or by following the Trust’s whistleblowing policy and procedures.

In addition professionally registered staff have duties imposed upon them to raise such concerns by their respective professional regulatory bodies, such as the GMC, NMC, ACCA.

The Trust has also implemented the ‘Speaking up’ programme to encourage staff to raise their concerns.

Purchase most of our products from UK or EU based firms, who may also be required to comply with the requirements of the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015) or similar legislation in other EU states.

Purchase a significant number of products through NHS Supply Chain, whose ‘Supplier Code of Conduct’ includes a provision around forced labour.

Where possible and consistent with the Public Contracts Regulations, build long‐standing relationships with suppliers.

Advice and training about modern slavery and human trafficking is available to staff through our Safeguarding Children and Adults training, our Safeguarding policies and procedures and our Safeguarding Team.

Any concerns about Modern Slavery are taken seriously and managed sensitively, and support is provided. This includes referring to external agencies, where appropriate.

This statement has been approved by the Chief Nurse who chairs the Strategic Safeguarding Committee, which will review and update it on an annual basis.

Updated: July 2024