Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 318-2022
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
1. Does your authority have a distinct policy covering alcohol and/or other substance use by employees of the authority? If so, on what date was this policy implemented? What policy did this supersede? Please provide a copy of your current alcohol and substance use policy. No distinct policy that we are aware of.
2. Does your authority’s current occupational health policy include sections or subsections which cover the use of alcohol and/or other substances by employees of your authority who are registered healthcare professionals, including but not limited to alcohol and/or substance addiction and/or impairment at work due to substance use? If so, on what date was this policy implemented? Please provide a copy of your current occupational health policy.
We do as part of GHC have an alcohol and drug policy that OH is referenced to, this is currently being reviewed by HR, but we do not have a standalone policy.
3. What policy within your authority covers performance management issues related to alcohol and substances within the workplace, including but not limited to impairment at work due to alcohol or substance use, and/or criminal activity either during or outside of work hours related to alcohol and substance use? On what date was this policy implemented? Please provide a copy of the current policy in which this information is included. Please find the policy on a separate attachment.
4. If there is a concern regarding a registered healthcare professional employee’s alcohol or substance use, please outline the process applied within your authority for dealing with the issue, with reference to pathways for the employee concerned, and who has responsibility for decision making for any given pathway the employee is placed upon, and how decisions are made as to how the pathways are implemented. Process undertaken as outlined in the disciplinary policy.
FOI Request
Please consider this as a Freedom of Information request. The purpose of this request is to identify health authority policies for dealing with alcohol and other substance use in employees of the authority who are registered healthcare professionals with the aim of understanding whether authorities have distinct policies or whether it is dealt with under existing wider policy. With this in mind please could you answer all of the following questions and supply the requested information and documentation: 1. Does your authority have a distinct policy covering alcohol and/or other substance use by employees of the authority? If so, on what date was this policy implemented? What policy did this supersede? Please provide a copy of your current alcohol and substance use policy. And 2. Does your authority’s current occupational health policy include sections or subsections which cover the use of alcohol and/or other substances by employees of your authority who are registered healthcare professionals, including but not limited to alcohol and/or substance addiction and/or impairment at work due to substance use? If so, on what date was this policy implemented? Please provide a copy of your current occupational health policy And 3. What policy within your authority covers performance management issues related to alcohol and substances within the workplace, including but not limited to impairment at work due to alcohol or substance use, and/or criminal activity either during or outside of work hours related to alcohol and substance use? On what date was this policy implemented? Please provide a copy of the current policy in which this information is included. And 4. If there is a concern regarding a registered healthcare professional employee’s alcohol or substance use, please outline the process applied within your authority for dealing with the issue, with reference to pathways for the employee concerned, and who has responsibility for decision making for any given pathway the employee is placed upon, and how decisions are made as to how the pathways are implemented.