DBTH Modern Slavery Statement (November 2025)

DBTH remains sensitive to the risk of modern slavery in our supply chains. We are committed to acting responsibly and with integrity in all our business relationships and continue to take measures to implement and enforce effective systems and processes to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place anywhere within our control or influence.

What is modern slavery?

Modern Day Slavery is a violation of a person’s human rights. It can take the form of human trafficking, forced labour, forced or servile marriage, descent-based slavery, and domestic slavery. A person is in modern slavery if they are:

  • Forced to work through mental or physical threats.
  • Owned or controlled by an “employer,” usually through mental or physical abuse.
  • Dehumanised, treated as a commodity, or sold or bought as “property”.
  • Physically constrained or has restrictions placed on their freedom of movement.
  • Cuckooed, this is where a vulnerable person’s home is taken over by a gang usually for drugs/prostitution.

DBTH remains sensitive to the risk of modern slavery in our supply chains. We are committed to acting responsibly and with integrity in all our business relationships and continue to take measures to implement and enforce effective systems and processes to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place anywhere within our control or influence.

Our organisation and supply chains 

As a local provider for health care services for 420,000 people across South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, and the surrounding areas and as a Trust that employs over 6000 colleagues this statement outlines the commitment to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking practices in the supply chain and employment practices

Our approach and commitment

As a health organisation we are partners of Safeguarding Adult Boards and Safeguarding Children Partnerships, in Doncaster and Nottinghamshire County and we support the wider strategic priorities in tackling modern slavery and human trafficking.

The Trust fully supports the Government’s objective to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking and recognises the significant role the NHS must play in both combatting it and supporting victims. We are committed to ensuring services and supply chains comply with relevant legislative requirements.

We acknowledge and accept that we are responsible for lawfully, fairly, and honestly conducting our business.

Our commitment to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking. 

We aim to address this risk through:

  • Being committed to ensuring there is no modern slavery or human trafficking within our services and/or supply chains in any part of our business.
  • Adhering to National NHS Employment Standards which includes checks on an employee’s address, the right to work in the UK and suitable references.
  • Have in place systems to encourage the reporting of concerns
  • Continue to build relationships with our partners.
  • Include modern slavery and human trafficking within the Trust Safeguarding policy.
  • Include modern slavery and human trafficking information and training for our workforce as part of existing safeguarding training.

Our arrangements for preventing modern slavery and human trafficking.

DBTH aims to be as effective as possible in ensuring modern slavery and human trafficking do not take place in any part of our business by:

  • Ensuring the response to Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery is coordinated through collaborative working with place-based Safeguarding Partnerships and procedures for both children and adults.
  • Deploying robust recruitment processes that adhere to safer recruitment principles, including identity, right-to-work, and criminal record checks, in line with the Trust Recruitment Policy.
  • Having policies in place, including Safeguarding, Freedom to Speak Up, grievance, equality, diversity, and inclusion, to demonstrate our commitment to supporting our employees’ raising concerns about poor working practices and vulnerable people.
  • Ensuring our procurement policy outlines how we procure goods and services within procurement legislation and regulation requirements
  • Raising awareness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 internally as part of all procurement and safeguarding processes
  • Continuously review our internal processes against modern slavery and human trafficking; and
  • Working in partnership with our local Adult Safeguarding Boards, Safeguarding Children Partnerships.

Our Policies 

The Trust maintains relevant policies to ensure our compliance with various legal and regulatory obligations. These policies are reviewed regularly, allowing us to review or amend our approach where necessary. In the context of modern slavery, we believe the following policies support us in our compliance:

Policy  Purpose 
Procurement Policy All procurement is in accordance with UK procurement law, and procured services are all subject to standard NHS contract terms and conditions. Suppliers must comply with relevant legislation.
Pay Our pay structure is based on equal pay principles and rates of pay locally and nationally determined by the National collective agreements.
HR Policies Our recruitment processes are robust and adhere to safe recruitment principles. This includes strict requirements regarding identity, right to work and criminal record checks.
Our policies set out expected standards of behaviour and provide additional platforms for employee to raise and resolve concerns about their employment and poor working practices.
Safeguarding Policy

Freedom to Speak Up Policy

Our safeguarding policies outline the responses required for modern slavery and human trafficking and additional resources to support staff. The Trust’s Safeguarding team can offer additional advice and support.

Freedom to Speak Up Policy in place. We ensure that all issues are investigated fairly and appropriate actions are taken.

 
 

Future progress  

We will continue to review and develop our processes to mitigate the risk of modern slavery.

Our Safeguarding training will continue to highlight the risks of modern slavery so we can be confident colleagues possess the knowledge to identify any risks.

The Trust acknowledges that fighting against modern slavery and human trafficking requires a coordinated, collaborative, and long-term approach. We are committed to continuously improving our knowledge and efforts to eradicate modern slavery.

This statement is made under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and is our modern slavery and human trafficking statement.

We are also committed to align to the NHS England group statement:

NHS England » NHS England modern slavery and human trafficking statement


Content out of date? Information wrong or not clear enough? Report this page.