Employment check standards updated in line with new FPPT framework
The new Fit and Proper Persons Test (FPPT) framework has been incorporated to employment check standards in order to strengthen board governance, boost leadership and improve patient safety. This will also help to prevent directors who have been involved in or enabled serious misconduct or mismanagement from joining a new NHS organisation.
The framework will introduce a means of retaining information relating to testing the requirements of the FPPT for individual directors, a set of standard competencies for all board directors, and a new way of completing references with additional content whenever a director leaves an NHS board.
As part of the process the following will be applied:
- a new standard reference for people leaving NHS board roles for any reason which will be held on file until the person turns 75, including details on any ongoing or discontinued complaints and disciplinary issues
- when appointing to a board member position employers are required to seek references to validate a period of six consecutive years of employment immediately prior to the application being made
- data fields to be incorporated in the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) to record board members’ FPPTs
- an extension of the scope of the FPPT framework to all commissioners including Arms-Length Bodies, Care Quality Commission (CQC) and NHS England.
The full framework and additional guidance can be found on the NHS England website.
For board member appointments, NHS England has issued a standard reference template that employers are required to use after a provisional offer of employment has been made.
These changes and updates have also been reflected in our employment history and reference checks standard.
