Issuu

Credit

Version: V1

Ratified by: Finance Investment Committee

Date ratified: 02/04/2025

Job Title of author:

Rachael White / Finance team

Reviewed by Committee or Expert Group Finance and Investment Committee

Equality Impact Assessed by:

Rachael White / Finance team

Related procedural documents [show all related document]

Review date: 02/04/2028

It is the responsibility of users to ensure that you are using the most up to date document template – ie obtained via the intranet

In developing/reviewing this policy Provide Community has had regard to the principles of the NHS Constitution.

Version Control Sheet

Version Date Author

Version 1 March 25 Rachael

White/Finance

Team New FIC April 25

1. Introduction

This document is to set out a policy and procedure to control and effectively manage the use of credit cards within the Provide Group and ensure sound governance of expenditure.

This policy offers ‘best practice’ advice and guidance to ensure that processes minimise risks to individuals and the Provide Group.

In general, all purchases should be made through the procurement systems in Provide. Credit cards must never be used to bypass this process. However, the Provide Group recognizes that there are circumstances where it is unavoidable to use credit cards

2. Definitions

Credit cards are issued by the Finance Department as approved by the Senior Leadership Team via an application form request (please see Appendix 2).

These cards are for the use in the activities of the organisation to make payments for goods or services which cannot be made via the normal purchasing routes. Credit cards should only ever be used for the purpose of business expenses.

Fraud is where any person who dishonestly makes a false representation to make a gain for himself or another or dishonestly fails to disclose to another person, information which he is under a legal duty to disclose, or commits fraud by abuse of position, including any offence as defined in the Fraud Act 2006.

Bribery is the giving or receiving a financial or other advantage in connection with the ‘improper performance’ of trust or a function that is expected to be performed impartially or in good faith. Where the Provide Group is engaged in commercial activity it could be considered guilty of a corporate bribery offence if an employee, agent, subsidiary or any other person acting on its behalf bribes another person intending to obtain or retain business or an advantage in the conduct of business for the Provide Group and it cannot demonstrate that it has adequate procedures in place to prevent such. The adequate procedures that the Provide Group is required to have in place to prevent bribery being committed on their behalf are performed by six principles – proportionate procedures, top level commitment, risk assessment, communication (including training), monitoring and review. The Provide Group does not tolerate any bribery on its behalf, even if this might result in a loss of business for it. Criminal liability must be prevented at all times.

3. Counter Fraud

If any member of staff has good reason to suspect a colleague, patient or other person of fraud, bribery and / or corruption, involving the Provide Group, they should report their genuine concerns to the LCFS or Chief Finance Officer immediately. The LCFS will then decide on the next course of action and advise the member of staff accordingly. All calls are dealt with in the strictest of confidence and callers may remain anonymous. Suspicions of fraud, bribery or corruption should be reported to the Local Counter Fraud Specialists on 01473 945843, Provide Group Chief Finance Officer or NHS Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line via an

online reporting form: http://www.reportnhsfraud.nhs.uk/ or telephone 0800 028 4060. Further details including email addresses for those responsible can be found on the Provide Intranet.

4. Purpose

This Policy applies to cardholders, budget holders, the Finance & Procurement Team

5. Key Responsibilities

Credit Card Holders

Request for new credit cards must be done via completing the Credit Card Application Form (please see Appendix 2).

All Card Holders must adhere to the process and procedures detailed in this document. Credit cards must only be used where the goods or services cannot be obtained using the normal ordering / procurement processes Credit cards should only ever be used for the purpose of business expenses.

Card Holders should exercise good judgement and act responsibly in the use of the card and be able to demonstrate the purchases represent value for money and that the goods have been received by the Provide Group

Security

• The credit card should be signed on the reverse side of the card upon receipt.

• We recommend you register for Commercial Cards Internet Servicing (CCIS), so you can activate your card, monitor your card account and access your statements 24/7 online, This can be done using this link Welcome

• Card Holders should never disclose their credit card pin number to anyone

• It is the Card Holder’s responsibly to ensure the card is kept securely and not shared with or used by others

• Any suspected misuse or loss of the card or if a cardholder notices a fraudulent purchase, this must be reported to Lloyds Bank and the Finance Programme Administrator immediately (under the Contact Details section).

• Any misuse of the credit card will result in the cancellation of the card and could lead to disciplinary procedures.

Allowable use of the Credit Card

• Credit cards must only be used where the goods or services cannot be obtained using the normal ordering / procurement processes.

• Credit Cards are only to be used for the supply of goods and services normally used within your department or area of responsibility, and only with the pre-approval of the relevant budget holder authorised for that expenditure

• The maximum amount of a single transaction should be no more than £500 without prior approval of your Line Manager

• Under no circumstances is cash allowed to be withdrawn using a credit card

• The Card Holder must not place any orders using their cards that will result in personal gain to the Card Holder (Club Card/Nectar Points etc)

• If the credit card has been used in error for a personal transaction, the cardholder must let the relevant Finance Programme Administrator know immediately and repay the amount immediately via a Bank transfer (details will be provided by the Finance Team)

• Credit cards should only ever be used for the purpose of business expenses.

Purchases Not Allowed via a Credit Card

• Amazon purchases should only be made via the Procurement Department using the Amazon Business Account. Information can be obtained from the Procurement Team at provide.procurement@nhs.net.

• Stationary should only be ordered using Provide Group’s Lyreco account. Please contact the Procurement Team at provide.procurement@nhs.net for details.

• Do not purchase subsistence e.g. lunches using the credit card. If you are entitled to claim subsistence then this should be claimed via expenses and authorised by your Line Manager.

Proof of purchase – ProvideMyCardExpenses

• Cardholders must upload their receipts on the ProvideMyCardExpenses portal as soon as a purchase has been made Failure to repeatedly not upload all receipts by the end of each month for that month’s expenses, may result in the Purchase card being withdrawn

• The receipts must clearly show the amount, date of purchase and what the purchase was for (additional comments can be added) or the expense will be rejected (please check your Rejected Expenses Tab on the portal regularly).

• Any purchases made on a credit card which could have been done via the normal purchasing routes must be documented when uploading the proof of purchase onto the portal (using the additional comment box)

• Card Holders must keep copies of any receipts or online order confirmations and budget holders email approval (when applicable), and these must be available on demand for audit purposes. Any associated invoices, receipts, delivery notes and documentation must be retained for at least 6 years

Budget Holders

For all non-budget holders, authorisation will be required from the relevant budget manager via the ProvideMyCardExpenses portal. This also applies when purchases are made for another service. An automatic email will be sent from the portal to the budget manager with a link to authorise or reject that expense.

Finance / Procurement

Finance Programme Administrators are responsible for the overall management of the Lloyds facility, this includes:

• Issuing of new cards and cancelling of old cards

• Amending of credit limits

• Checking and authorising of the receipts on the ProvideMyCardExpenses portal

• Dealing with card queries

• Providing support and training as and when required.

• Checking that card expenses are for the purpose of business expenses.

Finance is responsible for making payment of the monthly statement in line with the agreed credit terms to ensure the Provide Group does not incur late payment charges or interest on overdue amounts. Finance is also responsible for recording the expenditure in the appropriate accounting period and monitoring expenditure for appropriate use.

The Procurement Team will analyse all expenditures on a monthly basis and will contact the relevant Card Holder regarding any expenses that could have been purchased via the normal route

6. Credit Card Housekeeping

Expired credit cards must be returned to the Finance Department, Provide CIC, 900 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9YQ.

If a Card Holder changes job role or department, or terminates their employment, they must notify the Programme Administrator to organise the cancellation and disposal of the Purchasing Card (Please see the Contact details section)

7. Implementation

This document has been prepared by Finance and Procurement and will be distributed to all Card Holders and the Authorising Managers and issued to all new Card Holders on collection of new cards.

8. Contact Details

Click here to enter text.

Provide Group Programme Administrators:

Provide cards: provide.finance@nhs.net

Provide Wellbeing cards: provide.wellbeingfinance@nhs.net

Provide Care Solutions cards: provide.caresolutionsfinance@nhs.net

Lloyds Bank:

Corporate Card Services Team: 0800 096 4496

Lines are open Monday–Friday 8am–8pm and Saturday 9am–4.30pm You’ll need your card details and security information when you call Lloyds. To report a card lost or stolen, or if you are having problems using your card, lines are open 24/7.

Appendix 1: Employee Agreement

Employee Agreement

I.......................................................... , as a cardholder, agree to comply with the following terms and conditions regarding the credit card use:

1. I have received and understand that I am being entrusted with a credit card and will be making financial commitments on behalf of the Provide Group.

2. I have been given a copy of the credit card policy and understand the requirements of the credit card use.

3. I agree to use this card for appropriate Company business purchases and to not use it for personal purchases. I understand that the Provide Group will audit the use of this card and may investigate any discrepancies which may leave to disciplinary action

4. If the card is lost or stolen, or I suspect fraudulent activity, I agree to notify the Bank immediately on their 24-hour, 7 days a week telephone number, as well as the Finance Team.

5. I agree to upload all the receipts by the end of each month as proof of purchase, or my card may be withdrawn

6. I agree to return the card immediately upon request, upon termination of employment, or for any other reasons (including retirement or change of Service area) to the Finance Department

Employee’s signature: Date:

Manager’s signature: Date:

FULL NAME (Including Title)

NAME TO APPEAR ON THE CARD ADDRESS DOB

MOTHERS MAIDEN NAME (this will be your password)

WORK MOBILE NUMBER (to be linked to the credit card)

AUTHORISED BY LINE MANAGER (please add signature) Name: Signature: Date:

Please return this form in a PDF format to provide.finance@nhs.net

Thank you

FULL NAME (Including Title)

NAME TO APPEAR ON THE CARD ADDRESS

MOTHERS MAIDEN NAME (this will be your password)

WORKMOBILENUMBER(tobe linked to the credit card)

AUTHORISED BY LINE MANAGER (Please add signature) Name: Signature: Date:

Please return this form in a

to provide.caresolutionsfinance@nhs.net.Thankyou

(Including Title)

MOTHERS MAIDEN NAME (this will be your password)

WORKMOBILENUMBER(tobe linked to the credit card)

AUTHORISED BY LINE MANAGER (Please add signature) Name: Signature: Date:

Please return this form in

provide.wellbeingfinance@nhs.net

EQUALITY

IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE: Stage 1: ‘Screening’

Name of project/policy/strategy (hereafter referred to as “initiative”):

Provide a brief summary (bullet points) of the aims of the initiative and main activities:

Project/Policy Manager:

Date:

This stage establishes whether a proposed initiative will have an impact from an equality perspective on any particular group of people or community – i.e. on the grounds of race (incl. religion/faith), gender (incl. sexual orientation), age, disability, or whether it is “equality neutral” (i.e. have no effect either positive or negative). In the case of gender, consider whether men and women are affected differently.

Q1. Who will benefit from this initiative? Is there likely to be a positive impact on specific groups/communities (whether or not they are the intended beneficiaries), and if so, how? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality “neutral”? i.e. will have no particular effect on any group.

Q2. Is there likely to be an adverse impact on one or more minority/under-represented or community groups as a result of this initiative? If so, who may be affected and why? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality “neutral”?

Q3. Is the impact of the initiative – whether positive or negative - significant enough to warrant a more detailed assessment (Stage 2 – see guidance)? If not, will there be monitoring and review to assess the impact over a period time? Briefly (bullet points) give reasons for your answer and any steps you are taking to address particular issues, including any consultation with staff or external groups/agencies.

Guidelines: Things to consider

Equality impact assessments at Provide take account of relevant equality legislation and include age, (i.e. young and old,); race and ethnicity, gender, disability, religion and faith, and sexual orientation.

The initiative may have a positive, negative or neutral impact, i.e. have no particular effect on the group/community.

Where a negative (i.e. adverse) impact is identified, it may be appropriate to make a more detailed EIA (see Stage 2), or, as important, take early action to redress this – e.g. by abandoning or modifying the initiative. NB: If the initiative contravenes equality legislation, it must be abandoned or modified.

Where an initiative has a positive impact on groups/community relations, the EIA should make this explicit, to enable the outcomes to be monitored over its lifespan.

Where there is a positive impact on particular groups does this mean there could be an adverse impact on others, and if so can this be justified? - e.g. are there other existing or planned initiatives which redress this?

It may not be possible to provide detailed answers to some of these questions at the start of the initiative. The EIA may identify a lack of relevant data, and that datagathering is a specific action required to inform the initiative as it develops, and also to form part of a continuing evaluation and review process.

It is envisaged that it will be relatively rare for full impact assessments to be carried out at Provide. Usually, where there are particular problems identified in the screening stage, it is envisaged that the approach will be amended at this stage, and/or setting up a monitoring/evaluation system to review a policy’s impact over time.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE:

Stage 2:

(To be used where the ‘screening phase has identified a substantial problem/concern)

This stage examines the initiative in more detail in order to obtain further information where required about its potential adverse or positive impact from an equality perspective. It will help inform whether any action needs to be taken and may form part of a continuing assessment framework as the initiative develops.

Q1. What data/information is there on the target beneficiary groups/communities? Are any of these groups under- or over-represented? Do they have access to the same resources? What are your sources of data and are there any gaps?

Q2. Is there a potential for this initiative to have a positive impact, such as tackling discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and good community relations? If yes, how? Which are the main groups it will have an impact on?

Q3. Will the initiative have an adverse impact on any particular group or community/community relations? If yes, in what way? Will the impact be different for different groups – e.g. men and women?

Q4. Has there been consultation/is consultation planned with stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ staff who will be affected by the initiative? Summarise (bullet points) any important issues arising from the consultation.

Q5. Given your answers to the previous questions, how will your plans be revised to reduce/eliminate negative impact or enhance positive impact? Are there specific factors which need to be taken into account?

Q6. How will the initiative continue to be monitored and evaluated, including its impact on particular groups/ improving community relations? Where appropriate, identify any additional data that will be required.

Guidelines: Things to consider

An initiative may have a positive impact on some sectors of the community but leave others excluded or feeling they are excluded. Consideration should be given to how this can be tackled or minimised.

It is important to ensure that relevant groups/communities are identified who should be consulted. This may require taking positive action to engage with those groups who are traditionally less likely to respond to consultations and could form a specific part of the initiative.

The consultation process should form a meaningful part of the initiative as it develops and help inform any future action.

If the EIA shows an adverse impact, is this because it contravenes any equality legislation? If so, the initiative must be modified or abandoned. There may be another way to meet the objective(s) of the initiative.

Further information:

Useful Websites www.equalityhumanrights.com Website for new Equality agency www.employers-forum.co.uk – Employers forum on disability www.efa.org.uk – Employers forum on age