AccessNI Checks – what you need to know
For the Foundation Training Year, all employers must ask their prospective trainees to get an AccessNI disclosure check prior to commencing their training placement. This is because they will be working in “regulated activity” during their placement. This also applies to other members of the Pharmacy team.
Dept of Health NI policy is that “the provision of health care by any healthcare professional to an adult, or the provision of health care to an adult under the direction or supervision of a healthcare professional is regulated activity”.
For job roles performing regulated activity, an employer is entitled to ask for a criminal record check. This is known as an AccessNI Disclosure Check and there are Basic, Standard or Enhanced levels.
Basic Check – Any individual can apply for a Basic Check through NI Direct.
Community Pharmacy employers are entitled to ask for more detailed disclosure checks for certain job roles within their organisation:
Standard Check – For job roles such as a Pharmacist who is not working in regulated activity, that is, not working in a patient facing role.
Enhanced Check – For job roles where an employee is working in regulated activity, that is, providing services directly to patients, for example, a Pharmacist, Foundation Trainee Pharmacist or a delivery driver. These checks can include a check of the Barred Lists, for example, the list of people who are barred from working with children and or adults.
Checks are administered by AccessNI, under the jurisdiction of the Dept of Justice, and are governed by a Code of Practice aimed at ensuring former offenders are treated fairly when it comes to recruitment decisions.
How to Apply for a Disclosure Check
All applications are made by employees or prospective employees online through NI Direct using a verified NI Direct account.
To complete the application for either Standard or Enhanced Checks they will require information from the employing organisation. The employing organisation must be registered with AccessNI and process up to twenty checks annually. If they are not likely to meet this threshold, they can use an Umbrella Body which is registered with AccessNI.
UCA-NI is an Umbrella Body set up to help community pharmacies with fewer than twenty checks per year. Its service fee is £25 plus VAT. Certificate fees range from £16 to £32 and are payable to UCA-NI. UCA-NI pays certificate fees to AccessNI monthly.
What UCA-ni does
- Provides information and guidance on employer responsibilities under the AccessNI Code of Practice and how to manage any disclosure information
- Provides template policies for Employment of Ex Offenders and Data Security
- Contacts the employee or prospective employee to provide information and guide them through the application process
- Countersigns applications
- Communicates with the employer and the employee or prospective employee throughout the process
If you would like more information or have any queries about AccessNI disclosure checks or the UCA-NI Umbrella Body service, please contact them.