What we do

Complaints

We see complaints as an opportunity to reflect and learn from the experience of people who have used our services. We welcome feedback about our services and the decisions we have made.

Equality and diversity

We are committed to promoting diversity and equal opportunities, as well as supporting human rights. We do this through our work, commissioning services for the community, and as a leading employer.

All our employees are expected to support the equal and fair treatment of colleagues and to ensure people are treated consistently in a non-discriminatory manner. As an organisation, we must ensure our activities and services do not discriminate, and where possible promote equal opportunities.

We have signed up to the Mindful Employer initiative. This is a long-term pledge. With the right support, people with mental health issues can and do stay in work and can be a real asset to our business.

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act is a statutory requirement which means we must provide open and transparent information about the way we do business and the decisions we make.

Anyone can ask us to provide information. They do not have to refer to the Act for us to treat it as a request under the Act. Find out how to make a freedom of information request.

Individual funding requests

We have a statutory duty to provide comprehensive healthcare within the resources available. This legal requirement means we sometimes have hard choices to make. Not all treatments are provided by the NHS. You can find information on what treatments we do and do not routinely fund in our treatment policies.

An individual funding request is an application to fund healthcare which falls outside the range of services and treatments we routinely commission. A panel considers these requests. They look for evidence of exceptional clinical need.

To agree funding, the panel must be able to explain why:

• this person is significantly different to the general population of people with the same condition
• that person is likely to gain significantly more benefit

Risk management

Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and managing all risks. All organisations work with varying risks daily. Some risks are easy to manage, others require longer term or more strategic action. A consistent approach is critical in ensuring we manage risk appropriately.

Our risk management strategy and policy (PDF, 449 KB) explains how we do this.

Contact us

Email our corporate governance team for more information.