Why is it significant to perform BPSS clearance for healthcare professionals? Is it necessary to apply BPSS for the NHS? These concerns lead you to dive deep into the details of Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance. Healthcare workers must conduct pre-employment checks, especially when they have to work with sensitive patient data or access secure information.
BPSS applies to all employees working within or for the government, including contractors, civil servants, members of the armed forces, suppliers, and temporary staff. The primary objective of pre-employment checks is to ensure that applicants are allowed to start employment, protect the security of the government estate and its assets, and offer a base for NSV (National Security Vetting (NSV) if a security clearance is needed.
Why BPSS Clearance Required For Healthcare Workers?
Yes, BPSS or pre-employment checks are required to provide a more secure environment to patients and help them fully take advantage of their treatment.
It helps to maintain trust and integrity
While working in hospital or healthcare sections, workers can access confidential patient data and critical systems. Through BPSS clearance, companies check the identity of the employees, their employment history, criminal record, and their right to work. It helps them to hire trustworthy employees and maintain their integrity.
Advances patient safety and security
Hospitals and clinics have a responsibility to hire individuals who do not pose any threat to patients. Without proper checks, there is a greater risk of harm to vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly. BPSS clearance ensures that only trustworthy and reliable individuals are employed, safeguarding the safety and well-being of patients and their families.
Allows the right individual to access secure sites and systems
Apart from taking care of patients, healthcare workers need to access IT systems and manage patient data. By hiring unethical individuals, hospitals can pose a risk to patient safety indirectly. Therefore, BPSS checks become a necessity for NHS staff to allow the right person to access confidential information and enhance patient safety.
Compliance with Regulations
NHS and various healthcare providers need to follow government standards while hiring their employees. They need to provide standard pre-employment health checks for all new healthcare workers, including checks for TB disease or immunity and hepatitis B immunisation, with post-immunisation testing of response. Also, all new healthcare workers need to have standard health clearance before they have clinical contact with patients. With BPSS, they follow proper rules and regulations for hiring health workers.
To maintain the security and safety of patients, it is more than important for hospitals and clinics to perform security checks such as BPSS clearance and enhanced DBS checks. By analysing one’s identity, right to work, criminal records, and employment checks, they can hire the right individual to work in the healthcare department.