In response to coronavirus (COVID-19), the Home Office and
the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) have put temporary
arrangements in place, to provide DBS checks and fast-track
emergency checks of the Adults’ and Children’s Barred Lists
free-of-charge.
This will apply to healthcare and social care workers being
recruited in connection with the provision of care and
treatment of coronavirus in England and Wales, including
some of those who have volunteered to help the NHS.
These arrangements will provide employers with the option
to appoint new recruits into regulated activity with adults
and/or children, as long as the individuals are not barred
and appropriate measures are put in place to manage the
individual until the full DBS check is received.
DBS works to support recruiters and voluntary organisations
by allowing employers to make safer recruitment decisions.
The whole country is coming together to overcome the
COVID-19 crisis and thousands of volunteers have come
forward to support the health service although the vast
majority of these people will not require a DBS check.
Dr Gillian Fairfield, DBS Chairman said:
We understand the vital role that DBS has to play in the
country’s response to the pandemic. We have been working
closely with the Home Office and the Department of Health
and Social Care in order to introduce measures that allow
us to respond quickly to the applications, as we
recognise that the care sector needs immediate support
from new recruits and volunteers.
The introduction of a fast track Adults’ and Children’s
Barred List check will allow the NHS, and other
healthcare and voluntary sector organisations to get the
right people into the right place quickly and safely.
Eric Robinson, DBS Chief Executive added:
The organisation is fully prepared, and we have measures
in place to ensure we can continue to operate with
minimal disruption to our services.
This new fast-track check is designed to help support the
national effort to fight coronavirus. We need to make
sure that only those eligible for those checks are
requesting them as misuse of the emergency provision will
delay the urgent deployment of health and social care
personnel.
