1. About this policy
1.1. Alcohol (either hazardous alcohol consumption which can lead to physical or mental impairment or alcohol dependency), drug and substance misuse can result in risks to employees, students and visitors through misconduct, misjudgements, accidents and poor work performance.
1.2. It is in the interest of the staff, students and visitors of St George’s University of London (referred to as SGUL) and the Joint Faculty of Health Social Care and Education (SGUL and Kingston University) that individuals suffering from problems related to alcohol, drug or substance misuse / abuse are identified and encouraged to seek specialist help as early as possible.
1.3. Addiction to either alcohol, drugs or substances or misuse of alcohol, drugs or substances constitute a medical disorder.
1.4. This policy applies to all employees, contractors and visitors of SGUL. A separate Recreational Drug, Cognitive enhancing drugs, and Alcohol Strategy has been produced for students. Individuals whose misuse of alcohol, drugs or other substances affects their conduct and work performance and where medical advice confirms that they are suffering from an illness related to the misuse of alcohol, drugs or other substances will be offered help either within St George’s University of London or by referral to NHS primary or secondary care providers or an external provider e.g. Alcoholics Anonymous.
1.5. The policy should be read in conjunction with the SGUL Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy. It should also be read in conjunction with the Kingston University Health and Safety policy for those staff who work at the Kingston University campuses.
2. Policy
2.1. The aim of this policy is to:
-
Promote awareness and prevent alcohol, drug or substance misuse and addiction.
-
Identify and provide help and support to those with either an alcohol, drug or substance related problem.
-
Encourage a sensible approach to drinking alcohol.
-
Indicate restrictions and standards regarding drinking alcohol at work.
-
Safeguard employees and others from the hazards of alcohol, drug or substance misuse.
2.2. All employees, contractors and visitors are expected to be able to act in a reasonable manner without their cognition including judgement, co-ordination, balance, dexterity or mobility) being impaired by alcohol, drugs, including prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, solvents, illicit substances of misuse, and psychoactive substances. Individuals who are not fit to work due to illness relating to use of the above should take sickness absence in line with the Sickness Absence Procedure.
2.3. Any employee who is found to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances at work and whose conduct or work performance is affected may face action under the disciplinary and / or capability procedures.
2.4. Contractors or visitors found to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances may be escorted from the premises, refused further admission and the relevant contract terminated.
Alcohol
2.5. Employees who believe they have an alcohol, related problem are encouraged to seek confidential help and treatment.
Drugs
2.6. Individuals must not consume drugs for recreational reasons, including prescription drugs, non‑prescription drugs or other substances on site or off site while undertaking work for SGUL.
2.7. Individuals must not work or come on site under the influence of drugs or substances taken for recreational reasons.
2.8. Individuals whose prescription medication e.g. Fentanyl may cause problems such as drowsiness, cognitive impairment or delayed reactions should notify their line manager or HR as appropriate and explain the situation before commencing work. This can be done in confidence.
2.9. Employees who have problems with drugs, including prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs and substances should refer themselves as early as possible for treatment.
2.10. It is prohibited to sell or give drugs for recreational purposes to other individuals either while on SGUL property and /or while working for SGUL. Any such activity may lead to sanctions under the disciplinary procedure and will be reported to the police.
Psychoactive substances
2.11. Individuals must not consume Psychoactive Substances at work or on site, nor come to SGUL under the influence of psychoactive substances.
2.12. Employees who have problems with the use of Psychoactive Substances should refer themselves for treatment as early as possible.
3. Responsibilities
St. George’s University of London
3.1. SGUL has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees, students and other persons using the premises Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy.
3.2. SGUL considers it has a responsibility to promote good health by raising the awareness of employees to the problems that could be caused by alcohol, drug or substance misuse.
3.3. During working hours Monday to Friday alcohol will not be served or sold on SGUL premises including the Students Union bar.
Employees, contractors and visitors
3.4. Individuals have a duty to take care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions. They also have a responsibility to inform managers if they observe or suspect that an individual’s judgement is impaired due to the consumption of alcohol or drugs such as over the counter medicines, prescription medicines, Class A, B or C drugs or Psychoactive Substances.
3.5. Individuals must not operate machinery or work in hazardous areas under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances, because impaired judgement could lead to an accident, incident or near miss.
3.6. Individuals who have attended a social event where they have consumed alcohol are advised not to return work.
3.7. Individuals should avoid “covering up” or colluding with individuals whose behaviour or performance is affected by alcohol or other substances. They should urge colleagues to seek help as detailed below.
3.8. Individuals have a personal responsibility to check (with their General Practitioner (GP) or Pharmacist) if there are likely to be performance affecting side effects resulting from taking over the counter or prescription medication e.g. opiate based painkillers such as Codeine or Morphine. They should inform their line manager if necessary. This can be done in confidence.
4. Procedure
4.1. The paragraphs below outline the procedure for dealing with people who may be affected by the use of alcohol, over the counter medicines or prescription medicines or substances.
General application of the procedure
4.2. In applying the following procedure, advice should be sought from the Human Resources department (HR) as soon as an employee is known, or is considered likely, to be suffering from an illness relating to alcohol, drug or substance misuse.
4.3. Employees who believe they have an alcohol, drug or substance misuse related problem are encouraged to seek confidential help and treatment. Confidential help and support may be obtained from the University Counselling Service based in Hunter Wing extn (3628), the Employee Assistance Programme (Confidential Care) 0800 085 1376, the St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Occupational Health Department (referred to as Occupational Health) extn 1661 / 2662 / 1663 or their own GP.
4.4. Where an employee is diagnosed as suffering from illness related to alcohol, drug or substance misuse, time off for recovery will be treated in the same way as absence for other medical conditions. Employees will qualify for entitlement under the sick pay scheme.
4.5. Where an employee refuses to accept help or fails to respond to treatment, difficulties relating to work should be addressed in the normal way by a line manager.
4.6. For contractors or visitors who are believed to be under the influence of alcohol, drug or substance misuse, the issue should be raised with the relevant SGUL manager, for example the individual responsible for the contract or visitor.
Procedure for Intervention, Support and Management
4.7. Employees who are aware that they may be suffering from alcohol, drug or substance misuse are encouraged to speak to their manager, contact HR and / or the Occupational Health Unit or any other appropriate source of specialist help such as the University Counselling Service.
4.8. Where a supervisor or line manager becomes aware that an employee is suffering from alcohol, drug or substance misuse through the normal supervisory process or by some other means, they should seek advice from HR as soon as possible.
4.9. Where there are “fitness to work” requirements or other safety issues involved a referral will be made to Occupational Health. Where indicated onward referral to specialist agencies will be made. Occupational Health may on request supply reports to “Fitness to Practice Committees” of professional bodies in strict confidence. In these reports, more detailed medical information and screening results may be requested for patient safety reasons. In such circumstances, the Occupational Health will follow good practice and the required professional and legal guidance relating to permitted disclosure.
4.10. Where the employee agrees to co-operate in undergoing treatment, the required improvement in work performance will be outlined, following consultation with the Occupational Health or other specialist agency.
4.11. Where an employee suffers a relapse after completion of, or during, the recovery programme, each case will be considered individually.
4.12. Where an employee fails to respond to treatment and conduct or work performance continues to be affected, it will be necessary to consider measures under the disciplinary or capability procedures which could ultimately result in termination of appointment. This may be particularly appropriate where the health and safety of themselves or others is at risk. The disciplinary procedure would apply where conduct is unsatisfactory and the capability procedure where performance is below expectations. Unsatisfactory attendance may be considered under the sickness absence procedure.
4.13. Where appropriate, any entitlement to ill-health retirement under the pension scheme would be considered.
4.14. Where an employee, who is known to suffer from drug or substance misuse, becomes subject to disciplinary or capability proceedings, account will be taken of the individual's co‑operation in treatment, and any other mitigating factors, when deciding what action, if any, should be taken.
4.15. SGUL considers that illegal acts relating to controlled drugs or psychoactive substances (such as possession for their personal use, their sale or supply to others) on SGUL properties constitutes gross misconduct. Such acts may therefore constitute grounds for possible summary dismissal, as outlined in the disciplinary procedure.
4.16. For contractors and visitors found to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances the issues will be raised with a relevant manager and they may be escorted from the premises, refused further admission and the relevant contract terminated.
5. Procedure for dealing with Discovery of illegal drugs.
5.1. Contact the Security Control Centre on ext 0909 and inform them of what you have found. Follow security’s instructions.
5.2. Provide the security manager with a copy of your record of actions. They may take further notes to add into their incident report.
Appendix 1
Problems that may occur in individuals consuming Alcohol at greater than recommended levels or using Drugs or Psychoactive Substances.
The following is a list of symptoms, which may occur in someone with an alcohol, drug or substance related problem. Reactions to alcohol, drugs or psychoactive substances vary and not all of these symptoms will appear in all cases. There may also be other reasons apart from reactions to alcohol, drugs or psychoactive substances for the appearance of the following symptoms. These may include medical conditions and should be discussed in confidence with the individual.
Absenteeism / Irregular Attendance
-
Multiple instances of unauthorised leave
-
Frequent Monday or Friday absences
-
Improbable reasons for absence
-
Unusually high absenteeism e.g. for colds, flu, gastritis and general malaise.
Reporting for Work in a poor condition
-
Excessive lateness, e.g. on Monday mornings or returning from lunch
-
Arriving for work under the influence of alcohol, drugs or psychoactive substances
-
Smelling of alcohol
-
Unkempt appearance / lack of hygiene.
Absenteeism Whilst at Work
-
Repeated absences from the post, more often than reasonably necessary
-
Frequent trips to the toilet
-
Overlong tea / coffee breaks
-
Incapacity due to the influence of alcohol, drugs or psychoactive substances
-
Leaving work early.
Lack of Concentration or Confusion
-
Work requires greater effort
-
Jobs take an unreasonable time to complete
-
Difficulty in recalling instructions and details
-
Increasing difficulty in handling complex assignments
-
Difficulty in recalling errors.
Spasmodic Work Patterns and Deteriorating Performance
-
Alternate periods of low and high productivity
-
Increasing general unreliability and unpredictability
-
Missed deadlines
-
Mistakes due to inattention or poor judgement
-
Complaints about performance
-
Improbable excuses for poor performance.
Poor Employee Relations
-
Over-reaction to real or imagined criticism
-
Unreasonable resentment
-
Irritability
-
Complaints from colleagues about behaviour
-
Attempts to borrow money from colleagues
-
Avoidance of manager or colleague.