Evidence shows that many medical products used every day in the NHS and others throughout the EU, US and globally are produced in unhealthy, unsafe and unfair working conditions. A quick look through the medical supplies store of any NHS organisation demonstrates the range of countries involved in making medical supplies for our hospitals. But workers in the developing world often are poorly paid and are exposed to hazardous conditions where they risk serious injury and even death. They have no right to form unions or to receive basic benefits like healthcare.
Staff in the NHS believe that workers in developing countries should not risk their lives to supply the equipment to save British lives. Those who work in the NHS can use its purchasing power to call for changes to the global system and, ultimately, improve the lives of workers around the world. Take action in your NHS organisation insist upon fair and ethical trade in the procurement of goods and services.
The Ethical Procurement for Health: Workbook was published in May. It provides NHS managers and procurement staff with the tools to develop and implement ethical procurement policies. It aims to build awareness and understanding of labour standards in supply chains among procurers, so that labour standards concerns can be identified early and addressed proactively and constructively.
The workbook and materials provides a model, the flexible framework, against which organisations can benchmark their practices and identify actions that will make these practices more effective in driving improvement and mitigating risks. It provides guidance, templates, tools and case examples to support the development of robust management processes to address labour standards.
