Our Policies
The Alliance will always attempt to find a speedy and amicable resolution to any concern raised before invoking formal process. However before evoking a formal process, we would be prepared to consider mediation. If a solution cannot be found that is acceptable to all parties, the following will ensue:
A series of Panels will examine disciplinary matters, concerns and issues raised about members of the register.
The Alliance recognises the need to separate the investigation, adjudication and appeals stages of the process in order to prevent bias or conflict and to make the process transparent and fair. The Alliance has separated the stages and arranged that different personnel be engaged in each stage of the process.
Each of the Panels is comprised of a member of the Alliance Executive who will chair the meeting, a Professional person not associated with the Alliance who has an interest in Health Care and is engaged in a discipline that is not Foot Health related, and an interest in the well-being of the public.
The Investigation Panel – will investigate the validity of a claim and assemble available evidence from all involved parties behind the complaint or concern.
The Investigating Panel comprises:
Chair: Gilly Taylor-Munt, Alliance Executive, Registrar
Health Professional: Janet Hillam, FPSPract
Lay Person: Stephen Wilding, Logistics Funeral Manager
The Adjudication Panel – will consider the evidence and determine if there has been a breach of professional behaviour, a lack of technical competence, a breach of practice principles or other concerns. The Panel will hear any mitigation offered and then determine how the case should proceed any requirement that may be made of the practitioner, or any sanction that is to be applied, the timeframe in which that requirement should be completed and any further matters to bring early, fair and satisfactory resolution of the concern.
The Adjudication Panel comprises:
Chair: John Falkner-Heylings, Alliance Executive, Podiatrist
Health Professional: Gareth Hicks
Lay Person: Ronald Edward Munt - Retired Company Director
The Appeals Panel – will hear appeals against the findings and determinations of the Adjudication Panel and consider any new evidence. The Appeals Panel has the authority to vary any requirements placed upon a practitioner by the Adjudication Panel if the appeal hearing finds acceptable mitigation or grounds that are considered acceptable and reasonable.
The Appeals Panel comprises:
Chair: Gilly Taylor-Munt, Alliance Executive, Registrar
Legal Professional: Richard Johnson, Solicitor
Lay Person: Jannine Churchill-Wilding, Company Director
Minutes will be taken of all panel meetings, and records of all proceeds will be kept for a minimum of five calendar years. It is intended that, wherever possible, the process of a disciplinary hearing will be completed within 90 days from the time of first notification.
Every effort will be expended to ensure that any sanction imposed is appropriate to the transgression and is in line with sanctions that might be imposed by other regulators.
The Alliance Register of Foot Health Practitioners will be annotated with notice of any sanctions imposed or of the decision to strike from the Register so that the public can be transparently informed of the current status of the practitioner and the outcome of due process. If striking-off is ever necessary, other regulators and the appropriate safeguarding and barring authorities will be informed of the action taken and the reason behind it.
Witnesses will be protected when they present to give evidence
Witnesses will be called for at different times to the subject of a hearing so that they will not meet.
Disciplinary Sanctions
Each case is dealt with on an individual basis. However the Sanctions which could be applied are as followed: A Warning issued following a disciplinary hearing (to be posted for x months/years) B : Retraining recommended/required following a disc. Hearing (by x date or whatever) C : Conditions issued D: Suspended for 6 months E: Removal from Register.
An Ethics Committee examines conflict of interest issues and concerns raised about the Alliance itself, or its personnel
The Ethics Committee is formed of three lay persons who have no association with the Alliance, and apart from the reimbursement of their paid expenses, they have no financial association with or other interest in the Alliance. The Ethics Committee will examine issues raised about the Alliance itself, or its personnel.
Jannine Churchill-Wilding - Company Director - Chair
Ronald Edward Munt - Retired Company Director – Patient Representative
Stephen Wilding – Logistics Funeral Manager – Patient Representative
The findings of the Ethics Committee will be entered by the Registrar into the Agenda of a Board Meeting so that the Directors can be informed and learn from the outcome. The Directors are pledged to accept the findings and recommendations of the Ethics Committee and will seek to address the issue to prevent the conflict from arising in the future.
PROTOCOL FOR MEETINGS OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE
In accordance with its stated intention to involve lay people and members of the public in its affairs and its governance, and to extend transparency and demonstrate the fairness of its operations, the Alliance has constituted an Ethics Committee.
The Ethics Committee, consisting of three lay persons, will be convened to hear complaints against the Alliance itself, or its personnel. The Ethics Committee will also consider Conflicts of Interest or potential Conflicts of Interest where they arise or are notified.
Concerns will be recorded by the Registrar on the date that they are raised.
The Ethics Committee will be convened at the earliest availability of the Committee Members to examine such concerns.
The Ethics Committee is formed of three lay persons that have no association with the Alliance, and apart from the re-imbursement of their paid expenses incurred in pursuit of their duties, they have no financial association or other interest in the Alliance.
The Ethics Committee will meet at Beechbeck, St Johns Road, Bishop Monkton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 3QU.
The Registrar will circulate the date and time of the meeting, and will conduct the meeting to present the concern to the Members of the Committee and explain the reason for the meeting being convened.
The Registrar will then not enter into the ensuing debate except to give any background to the concern where relevant, or to offer guidance upon procedural matters.
The Registrar will take Minutes to record the proceeds of the meeting, and the determination and recommendations of the Committee, and will distribute copies of those Minutes to all Committee Members so that they can agree that the Minutes show a true and accurate record of their deliberations.
The Registrar will ensure that the Minutes of Ethics Committee Meetings are itemised on the Agendas of Board Meetings for the information and acceptance of the shareholders who have pledged to accept the recommendations of the Ethics Committee, and who will attempt to learn from the issues raised and make such alterations as are reasonable to try to prevent the raised issues from recurring.
It is envisaged that the Ethics Committee would consider issues such as Conflict of Interest, or perceived conflict of interest that may arise from refusal of entry to Membership and to the Accredited Register.
The recommendation of the Ethics Committee and the background to the concern will then be published on the register website so that the public is informed of the concern, and the outcome, and the process by which it has been resolved.
To address conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest the Alliance has established a clear and set criteria which will be applied consistently by the Registrar;
- In cases when the Registrar is unsure she will refer to the two Directors for assistance;
- If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome they will be able to complain to the lay Ethics Committee.
As an additional assurance that the registration criteria are being applied fairly and consistently, the Alliance has determined that it will sanction an independent audit of its membership protocols and registration processes annually.
Download the ALLIANCE RULEBOOK AND CODE OF ETHICS
Download the Conflict of Interest Policy
Download our Safeguarding Policy
Download our General Protection Policy
Download our Ethics Protocol