Modern Slavery Act 2015
Modern slavery and human trafficking statement
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain in common. Orchard Healthcare Group is committed to improving our practices to combat slavery and human trafficking. This statement is made pursuant to Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps taken by Orchard Healthcare Group to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking in its business and supply chains for the financial year ending March 2026.
Orchard Healthcare Group
Orchard Healthcare Group is a provider of residential care services and has been running and managing care homes across the United Kingdom for over a decade. With a strong reputation in the care industry, we operate multiple care homes and provide quality care primarily for the elderly, and in some homes, for those with additional needs. Our operations are based purely in the UK and we work with a range of suppliers and contractors.
Our supply chains
Our supply chains relate to the provision of maintenance services, the procurement of food and beverages, the engagement of temporary and agency staff, and covering utilities and waste management. Our anti- slavery policy forms part of our agreement with suppliers. We expect high standards of all our suppliers and that they work to all relevant requirements under the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act.
Our Policies on Slavery and Human Trafficking
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Our policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and includes guidance on indicators of forced labour and where additional information and support can be found. Where the company identifies any indications of forced labour this would be addressed via the internal serious untoward incident process and reported as required. Considering the obligation to report on measures to ensure that all parts of our business and supply chain are slavery free, we continually review our workplace policies and procedures to assess their effectiveness in identifying and tackling modern slavery issues. Our workplace policies and procedures demonstrate our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.
Due diligence processes for slavery and human trafficking
As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate risk we:
• Have implemented a risk assessment to identify potential areas of required improvement, this is monitored regularly to maintain compliance.
• Work closely with our suppliers to ensure that they have taken all reasonable measures to comply with the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act.
• We conduct due diligence for the consideration of working with new suppliers and contractors to ensure they take all reasonable measures to comply with the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act.
• Are committed to confronting this crime through effective due diligence and risk assessment, raising awareness of modern slavery and collaborating to protect the most vulnerable groups of people.
• Operate and promote a Whistleblowing policy, providing an open, transparent and confidential opportunity for employees to raise any concerns where slavery or human trafficking might be suspected.
• Provide an additional open communication with Company Chief Executive Officer, Hayden Knight supported by the Group Executive, Senior Leadership and HR Teams.
We have in place systems to:
• Identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chains.
• Mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in our supply chains.
• Monitor potential risk areas in our supply chains.
• Protect whistle blowers.
• Investigate any reports of modern slavery practices. Should any such practices be proven, Orchard Healthcare Group will terminate applicable contracts accordingly.
Supplier adherence to our values
We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain including contractors comply with our values we have a supply chain compliance programme in place.
• The percentage of suppliers who sign up to an appropriate code / provide their own modern slavery statements.
• We will remove any suppler or organisation from our supplier list should any reports of modern slavery be notified.
• Our Recruitment Policy includes verification of Right to Work Eligibility, DBS checks and UKVI (UK Visas & Immigration) compliance ensuring that we safeguard against human trafficking and forced labour.
Training and Awareness
To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we provide specific training to those involved in recruitment and procurement decisions, whilst providing awareness training and how to report suspected modern slavery to all colleagues via Induction.
Performance Indicators
We use the following key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of our efforts to combat modern slavery:
• Staff are trained in the awareness of the Modern Slavery Act
• The company receives no reports of practices which contravene the Modern Slavery Act
• We regularly review the statement to ensure that Orchard Healthcare Group is compliant and meeting the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
This statement has been approved and will be reviewed and updated annually.
Hayden Knight
Chief Executive Officer
