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Code of conduct for governors

Each governor of the membership council of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is expected to abide by this code of conduct, along with the seven Nolan principles of public life (attached Appendix 1), as follows;

As a member of the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS FT Membership Council I will:

  • Actively support the core belief of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS FT, that ‘people’s sight matters’;
  • Act with honesty , integrity and objectivity and in the best interests of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS FT at all times;
  • Follow the trust’s policy on interests, gifts and hospitality and ensure a declaration of interests is made at least annually, or when circumstances change;
  • Seek to ensure that the best interests of the public and patients are upheld by decision-making and that decisions are not improperly influenced by gifts or inducements;
  • Seek to gain a full understanding of my role as a governor, in particular the requirements to represent the views of the membership and hold non-executive directors to account for the performance of the Board;
  • With the support of the trust and fellow governors, seek to understand the views of constituency members and ensure they are kept informed of relevant issues;
  • Conduct myself in a manner that reflects positively on Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS FT and act as an ambassador for the Trust;
  • Work constructively and collaboratively with other governors, staff and other representatives of the trust and other stakeholders;
  • Not discriminate against anyone because of their religion, belief, race, colour, gender, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, age, social and economic status or national origin;
  • Understand that in circumstances where I am a member of a trade union, political party or other organisation, I will not represent those organisations in council and other trust meetings, but represent the constituency I serve;
  • Respect the confidentiality of patients and any commercial or other sensitive material shared with me in my role as Governor;
  • Not make, permit or knowingly allow to be made, any untrue or misleading statement relating to my own duties or the functions of the Trust;
  • Recognise that, other than when attending meetings and events as a Governor, I have no rights or privileges over and above any members of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS FT;
  • Recognise that the Membership Council has no managerial role within Moorfields Eye Hospital NHSFT and that it performs an assurance function for its members;
  • Value and respect Governor colleagues, service users, patients and all members of staff with whom I come into contact;
  • Attend meetings of the Membership Council, members meetings and training events on a regular basis in order to carry out my role;
  • Understand my responsibilities with regard to keeping my knowledge up to date and attending training and information events where possible;
  • Direct any requests from the press through the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Communications Team and not speak on behalf of the Trust;
  • Adhere to the Trust policy on the use of Social Media in relation to my duties as a Governor of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (see Appendix 2);
  • Adhere to any other relevant policies in relation to my duties as a Governor (see Appendix 2).

I agree to abide by the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Code of Conduct for the Membership Council and understand that if I am found to be in breach of this code my position as a Governor may be reviewed as detailed in the Trust Constitution.

Signed:

 

Date:

Constituency

 

Appendix 1

The Seven Principles of Public Life (Nolan)

1.    Selflessness

Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.

2.    Integrity

Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.

3.    Objectivity

In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

4.    Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

5.    Openness

Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

6.    Honesty

Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

7.    Leadership

Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

Appendix 2

Relevant policies and procedures

Social Media Policy

  • No social media sites or pages relating to the trust should be set up without prior approval from the communications team.

  • Protecting the reputation of the trust is everyone’s responsibility. You should act in a manner which does not bring the trust into disrepute. This applies to both open and private parts of social media.

  • When using social media or while online in any capacity you should not reveal confidential information about patients, staff or the business activities of the trust.

  • Medical advice should not be provided over social media.

  • Where criticism is levelled at Moorfields or our staff, we aim to avoid engaging in detailed discussions on social media channels unless they are exceptional circumstances.

  • The Moorfields logo, brand (e.g. viewpoint) and other identification associated with the trust, such as images of our buildings, our crest, social media avatars etc. must not be used on personal webpages, social media channels/posts or on any other sites.

  • Images, videos or audios of patients, relatives, or members of staff should not be captured or used without prior written consent.

 

Confidentiality code of conduct and information sharing

  • All employees including temporary staff, students, volunteers, governors and locums are bound by a legal duty of confidence to protect any personal information they come in to contact with.

  • All information should be considered confidential such as name, address as well as all information that you come across when performing duties.

  • Records should not be in reach of patients or any unauthorised visitor.

  • Records should only be taken off site with permission, information must be sealed.

  • Confidentiality also applies about the trust and your colleagues.

  • Information should never be given out on patients or staff to people unless they have a “need to know”, in order to provide health care treatment or employment information.

  • All patients must be treated the same whether they are friends, relatives or “well known”.

  • If you receive suspicious queries about patients or staff then act with extreme caution. 

  • It is important that all incidents or near misses are reported appropriately. This vital feedback allows the trust to learn from experience and prevent incidents of a similar nature being repeated.

  • All staff Governors are required to complete mandatory training on an annual basis.

 

Counter Fraud, corruption and bribery

  • All people associated with the trust must be impartial and honest in the conduct of their business and remain above suspicion whilst carrying out their role within the business.

  • Those working within the Trust are expected to ensure that the interest of patient’s remains paramount at all times.

 

In particular those working on behalf of the trust must:

  • Use any public funds entrusted to them to the best advantage of the service.

  • Not abuse their official position for personal gain or to benefit family and friends.

  • Not seek to advantage or further private business or other interested in the course of their official duties.

  • The prevention, detection and reporting of fraud, bribery and other forms of corruption are the responsibility of all those working within the trust.

  • Any incident or suspicion of fraud, corruption and/or bribery that comes to internal or external Audits or Local Security Management Specialist attention will be passed immediately to the Local Counter Fraud specialist.

  • Under no circumstances should anyone speak, email or write to the representatives of the press, TV, radio or to another third party about a suspected fraud, corruption or bribery issue without the express of authority of the Chief Executive except within the provisions stated in the trusts Whistleblowing Policy

  • If anyone has a good reason to suspect a colleague, patient or other person of fraud, and/or bribery, involving the trust, they should report their genuine concerns to the Local Counter Fraud Specialist or Chief Financial Officer immediately.

 

Declaration of interests, gifts and hospitality

  • Membership Council Governors are obliged to make a declaration of interests (including a nil declaration) at the end of every financial year, even if there has been no change to previous declarations.

  • Any offers of cash must be refused, irrespective of value. This does not include cash given for Moorfields Eye Charity or Friends of Moorfields.

  • You are responsible for making your own declarations which must be sent to the company secretary.

  • If you have a concern that a fraud may have occurred in relation to others not declaring gifts or hospitality received or failing to declare an interest, the concern should be reported to the local counter fraud specialist or the company secretary.

  • Any governor on the Membership council who fails to declare an interest or to remove themselves from discussion of an agenda item on which they have a conflict may have their term of office terminated

  • The company secretary will be responsible for collecting, collating and (if necessary) publishing declarations of interests and offers of hospitality or gifts.

 

Visitors Policy

  • The Trust believes that violence, physical aggression, verbal or racial abuse are not acceptable under any circumstances, and that staff are entitled to work without fear of abuse or violence. Visitors who are clearly under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be asked to leave the hospital site and informed of the reasons for this.

  • Only one adult visitor is permitted to accompany each patient. Due to limited space on the day care units, visitors may be asked to wait elsewhere once the patient has been admitted.

  • Staff can refuse visiting on the grounds of infection, babies/children who have received live immunisations and/or the clinical condition of the patient and/or the clinical environment is not conducive to visiting children. This also includes patients whom the child is not visiting.

  • Visitors are asked not to bring any food or snacks that require storage, reheating or refrigeration except in exceptional circumstances with prior agreement of the nurse in charge.

  • All clinical visitors/observers to the Trust who are not MEH staff must accompanied by at least one member of staff. Clinical visitors/observers should not be allowed access to restricted areas within the Trust

  • Visitors are asked to use the hand gels located at the orange hand hygiene stations

  • If visitors know or suspect that they may be suffering from an infectious condition they should contact the ward or department before visiting to get advice as to what actions they should take.

  • Visitors are asked to respect patients’ privacy and dignity at all times. This may necessitate visitors being asked to leave the patient areas. Such requests are made in the interests of patients receiving care and must be clearly explained by the staff making this request.

  • The Trust does not encourage the use of friends or relatives to act as interpreters as a friend or relative may have conflicting interests to the patient, and staff members have no way of knowing if the information being provided via the person interpreting is complete and accurate.