In most countries across the world, obtaining work as a healthcare professional will entail a high degree of background checks, particularly for a criminal record. Therefore, if you have a record and you still want to get a job as a healthcare worker, you might need to get help from a pardon or expungement attorney to pass a background check.
As cases of internet grooming and other forms of abuse seem to become ever more common, anyone in a position of trust should expect their past behaviour and character to come under scrutiny. As providing care for individuals is by definition the position of most trust any adult can occupy, healthcare work comes with the greatest degree of personal checking.
When applying for healthcare positions, many people can be surprised by the type of questions they have to answer; these often seem irrelevant or intrusive. This is symptomatic of the current climate, and should therefore be accepted as normal.
Shortage in Supply of Health Professionals
As the world’s population continues to increase in size and age, the demand for qualified healthcare workers is also guaranteed to grow with it. Indeed, the World Health Organization has conducted research which shows that, by 2035, demand will outstrip supply by as much as 12.9 million workers. This environment is perfect for fraudulent or abusive individuals to exploit for their own ends, especially where countries are desperate to plug gaps in their own healthcare provision for historical and/or political reasons.
The WHO highlights ten countries where healthcare workers will be in particularly short supply. These include some of the world’s richest nations, which means that wages in those economies’ healthcare sectors are likely to rise as a result. This, in turn, is sure to attract large numbers of applicants, be they honest, dedicated healthcare workers or other types of individual altogether.
Police Checks for Healthcare Workers
Individual nations have their own standards regarding background checks for healthcare workers. To this extent, having a portable, internationally recognized criminal record accreditation only has a limited level of utility. However, all countries have basic standards which any applicant for a position in this sector should meet. As fraudsters and abusers find ever more ways to “fool” law enforcement agencies, any sensible employing state will look for globally or regionally recognized accreditation services to ensure as few people as possible are allowed to slip through the net.
A good example of the standards which will be expected in those countries offering the most attractive salaries is that used by Police Check in the UK used by the country’s National Health Service This sets out the type of criteria any NHS employer will expect, which are in turn based on the British system of Enhanced Disclosure.
The Enhanced Disclosure System
The British “enhanced” checking system requires any job applicant to disclose all previous convictions and warnings. This includes what in other circumstances would be called “spent” convictions; i.e. where penalties given for certain levels of offence do not have to be disclosed by an individual after a certain period of time. Under enhanced disclosure, all convictions and warnings have to be included in the application.
As employers will make clear to applicants, any such conviction or warning will not
necessarily disqualify a person from obtaining the job in question; depending on what the offence/s were, this could be completely irrelevant. Enhanced disclosure just gives employers confidence that they know everything about an applicant’s past. For those with a duty of care, such as healthcare providers, this level of disclosure is seen as crucial.
The Effects of Brexit on Healthcare Work
One of the most quoted reasons for the eventual execution of the Brexit referendum was the control of movement into the UK from the EU. As of 2021, that commitment remains in place. Against this background, obtaining work in the British health sector is theoretically easier for UK nationals than those from the EU. This being the case, the enhanced disclosure system operated by the country’s law enforcement organizations should ensure a high level of compliance with the standards required by UK health employers.
It is possible, however, that this situation will change in the near future. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) predicts that any future British government, regardless of political party, will find the need to recruit staff from the EU with some urgency. As the UK’s population ages, healthcare provision is certain to assume a top spot in any election manifesto. This being the case, police checks for any healthcare working moving between Britain and EU will need to be as streamlined as possible.
Covid, Healthcare Work and Police Checks
During the course of the 2020-21 Coronavirus pandemic, many countries have introduced fast tracking for healthcare professionals. These have included, of course, PCS tests for the virus itself, but have also extended to the advanced checking needed to successfully screen applicants for health worker jobs. In the UK, for instance, the entire enhanced disclosure system is carried out within a 24 hour period. For a process which in normal times took several weeks, this is an example of the importance which responsible governments give to their healthcare workers.
The course of the Covid 19 pandemic has proven to be extremely hard to predict. However, the WHO has made it clear that the virus will persist in every community across the world, much like the influenza and other viruses. This being the case, governments in developing countries especially are likely to keep in place systems which enable them to recruit healthcare professionals quickly and securely. As Covid in particular appears to have the ability to produce lethal mutations, any such government will be alert for any signs of a sudden surge.
ACRO Police Checks for Health Workers
For a profession as important as healthcare, competence and security are absolutely vital. As employment opportunities shift across national boundaries, the police checks healthcare workers have to provide are certain to change with every new challenge brought by disease and the inevitable human corruption which accompanies a crisis. ACRO police checks provided by trusted companies such as CRB Direct mean that any healthcare professional can have the confidence they have the best possible starting position when looking for work abroad.
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